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\nFrom left: Chelsea Mann, mother Judy Burns and Samantha Burns. Judy Burns, 68, died on Jan. 21, three days after being admitted.<\/p>\n
Burns, 68, died on Jan. 21, three days after being admitted, after experiencing rectal bleeding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing that changed is they finally took accountability for the mistakes they made,\u201d Mann said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no accountability (during our first meeting). There wasn\u2019t much self-reflection or blame taken. It was pushed to the side. It was a completely different meeting this time from the accountability aspect. I think that\u2019s huge and that\u2019s all we really asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sisters said hospital officials acknowledged during the meeting that staff knew Burns was bleeding internally when she arrived at hospital, but that neither the patient nor her family was told.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey finally took accountability for the mistakes they made.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family was told staff continued monitoring Burns\u2019 blood because patients with suspected internal bleeding are handled according to an established process. However, the sisters said officials acknowledged their mother did not fully fit within that framework and signs about the seriousness of her condition were missed.<\/p>\n
The sisters also said they were told there had been capacity to perform an endoscopy, but that the procedure was not performed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hundred per cent it could have been prevented, and knowing that our mom should still be here, it\u2019s the hardest struggle that we have to live with,\u201d Mann said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hundred per cent it could have been prevented, and knowing that our mom should still be here, it\u2019s the hardest struggle that we have to live with.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement Thursday, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority extended its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Burns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thank her family for sharing their experiences and perspectives during the critical incident review process and recognize how difficult it can be to revisit the circumstances surrounding the loss of a loved one,\u201d a spokesperson for the health authority said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe review is now complete and recommendations are being implemented to strengthen patient care and clinical processes. The findings from the review have been shared with the family, and we will continue to maintain open lines of communication with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hospital is considering changes to how patients with suspected internal bleeding are assessed and treated, the sisters said.<\/p>\n
They were told officials are working on a new four-category approach for patients believed to be bleeding internally, although the family said they were not provided with extensive details about how it would work.<\/p>\n
Hospital officials also discussed expanding endoscopy capacity, they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing the review, St. Boniface Hospital introduced an emergency department gastrointestinal bleed protocol to support the timely identification, assessment and treatment of patients presenting with gastrointestinal bleeding,\u201d the WRHA spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have also enhanced access to urgent endoscopy and improved how these patients move from the emergency department to other care they need.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson noted endoscopy capacity has expanded across the province, including at St. Boniface Hospital, Seven Oaks Hospital, Grace Hospital and Health Sciences Centre to allow for an additional 1,400 procedures annually.<\/p>\n
There will also be changes in communication procedures, the sisters said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said now they\u2019re taking that really into consideration \u2014 that the way that they communicate to the patients and the patient\u2019s family is just as important as what they\u2019re actually doing (on) the medical side of it,\u201d Burns said.<\/p>\n
The women said officials acknowledged that clinical language and the manner in which information is delivered can leave patients and their loved ones feeling dehumanized.<\/p>\n
While the hospital\u2019s acknowledgement has given the family hope for the future, it has done little to ease their grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir accountability didn\u2019t give any closure,\u201d Burns said. What changed, she said, was hearing the hospital acknowledge mistakes had been made.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least it makes us \u2026 feel like they realized that they made mistakes,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause that\u2019s the only way they\u2019re going to learn \u2014 making that awareness and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing the review, St. Boniface Hospital introduced an emergency department gastrointestinal bleed protocol.\u201d<\/p>\n
The months since their mother\u2019s death have been difficult on the siblings and the experience has shaken their trust in the health-care system.<\/p>\n
They have also struggled with guilt over whether there was anything more they could have done for their mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt still feels like we didn\u2019t do enough,\u201d Burns said. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t help her, and even though we brought her somewhere that they were supposed to, we have the, what if? (thoughts) every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family also questioned why more support was not offered to them following Burns\u2019 death and the subsequent critical incident investigation. Contact with the hospital\u2019s patient relations department has largely occurred when family members themselves reached out, they said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Returning to the hospital or contacting officials often brings them back to the events surrounding their mother\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cEight months and not any better,\u201d Mann said.<\/p>\n
Despite that grief, the sisters said they hope something meaningful can emerge.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally, what can come from this is changes, hopefully (so) no other family (has) to see all this type of pain,\u201d Mann said.<\/p>\n
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Scott Billeck Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade\u2019s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.\u00a0 Read more about Scott<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
Reporter
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