A ‘ton’ of medical staff crowded into a Pennsylvania operating room to take photographs of an unconscious patient’s genitals, an investigation has uncovered.
Three physicians were suspended after the ‘chaos’ in which the staff used their cell phones to photograph the patient, who had been submitted after a ‘foreign object’ was inserted into their genitals, the state’s Department of Health said.
‘I was attending to the patient and at one point when I looked up there were so many people it looked like a cheerleader type pyramid,’ a witness to the incident at UPMC Bedford Memorial hospital told investigators.
A patient at UPMC Bedford Memorial hospital (pictured) had photos of their genitals taken while they were unconscious in December; those photos were then shared with others
The incident, which occurred on December 23, began when a patient arrived at the hospital needing a foreign object removed from their genitals.
Exactly what the object was is unclear, but the report says that the tools used to extract it created ‘sparks’ that required protective eyewear.
As word of the anomaly spread around the hospital, staff scurried up to see what was happening. No-one is named in the report.
One surgeon, identified only as EMP11, said they had been repairing a patient’s tendon when ‘one of the OR staff came into the room and said that there was a patient in the ER with a genital injury.
‘I thought, “How does this happen?” I was curious, I couldn’t imagine how the patient did it,’ they said.
They wrapped up their work and headed to the room to find ‘quite a crowd’ already there.
At least 15 members of staff are identified as being on the scene, of whom only six were actually there to care for the patient.
‘I did not have a purpose to be in there,’ EMP11 admitted. ‘It was sheer curiosity. I did take pictures and shared them with my spouse…’
Doctors wanted one photo for a lecture, but several of the 15 people crowded into the room used their phones because the official camera was said to be ‘broken’
They weren’t the only ones whipping out cameras to snap the unfortunate patient, according to the report.
One physician – identified as attending surgeon EMP6 – asked for a photo to be taken ‘for future medical lectures’.
It was sheer curiosity. I did take pictures and shared them with my spouse…’
Staff member ‘EMP11,’ quoted in Department of Health report
‘We have a camera in the OR for that purpose, but it was reportedly broken and so personal phones were used,’ the Department of Health said.
‘Initially, we thought there was only one picture taken but later we learned of others.’
But it was clear to everyone present that the staff were clamoring for pictures of the bizarre scene, the report said.
In fact, one witness said that there were ‘multiple people lined up at the door to take pictures.’
One person performing the operation, EMP6, told staff to wait until the patient was asleep – but then another took their phone out ‘before the case was done,’ according to the report.
‘I could not hold anyone back,’ said EMP6, ‘in the spirit of a medical anomaly I told them they could come in once the patient was asleep.’
I received a picture text on my phone… We do pass on interesting stuff…
Staff member ‘EMP3,’ quoted in Department of Health report
They also said: ‘I did not ask the patient for permission to photograph their genital area prior to the start of the procedure… Generally, we don’t tell that to the patient.’
Another member of staff eventually had to bring in a poster saying ‘no pics’ to get them to stop, according to the report.
And once those pictures were taken, they appeared to go viral. A technician at another facility in Pittsburgh allegedly received a copy; another one was requested to be sent to someone in Medical Records.
‘It was a couple days before Christmas, I received a picture text on my phone from Anesthesia, made a comment and moved on,’ one member of staff said. ‘We do pass on interesting stuff…’
And as one final indignity, the Department of Health said, there was no need for anyone to use their cell phones in the first place.
‘We also had the [operating theater] camera checked out,’ it said, ‘it is working, it is just too complicated to use.’
The hospital was cited for three violations: not protecting the patient’s privacy, letting unauthorized people into the room; and letting them use personal devices to take photos of the patient.
I did not ask the patient for permission to photograph their genital area… Generally, we don’t tell that to the patient
Attending surgeon ‘EMP6’, quoted in Department of Health report
One surgeon was suspended for seven days; another for 28 days; and the surgical services nursing director is being replaced, the Department said. Both also had to sit on privacy and ethics courses.
A memo was also sent out to staff members regarding privacy rules. There is no mention of any fines.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which runs the hospital, released a statement to Penn Live that read: ‘UPMC is committed to ensuring that our patients’ health information remains confidential.
‘The behavior reported in this case is abhorrent and violates the mission of UPMC Bedford and the overall values of UPMC.
‘Upon discovery, UPMC quickly self-reported the incident to the Pennsylvania Department of Health and took appropriate disciplinary action with the individuals involved.
‘The Department of Health has approved our plan of correction. We have also alerted the affected patient. Since this is an ongoing investigation, we are not at liberty to comment further at this time.’
The ‘broken’ camera was just ‘too complicated’ for doctors to use, it turned out. The hospital was cited and UPMC has replaced and suspended staff