Becker's Hospital Review

13 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY Lawsuit over 3-year-old patient's death says UNC Children's failed to disclose heart surgery issues By Gabrielle Masson I n a lawsuit filed Dec. 5, 2019, against UNC Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C., the parents of a 3-year-old patient who died after heart surgery claimed the hospital did not disclose internal concerns about its care quality, The New York Times reported. In 2016, Tasha and Thomas Jones' daughter under- went a low-risk procedure at UNC to repair a heart defect. The girl suffered complications and died two months later at the state-owned facility. On Dec. 5, the Joneses filed a complaint against four UNC physicians and another against the Universi- ty of North Carolina health system regarding the death of their daughter. The couple claimed hospital system leaders knew the pediatric cardiac surgery program "fell far be- low acceptable standards, yet UNC systematically failed to disclose this fact to current and potential patients, and failed to take reasonable measures to improve the system." The other complaint alleged UNC physicians didn't warn about issues with the heart program, and instead continued to refer patients "to protect their own reputational and monetary interests." In 2016-17 meetings, all nine of the hospital's pediatric cardiologists voiced concerns about the program, according to audio recordings cited by the NYT in May 2019. Some physicians asked for the program's mortality data, but the hospital didn't have such information at the time. Last June, the hospital released data revealing a death rate around 50 percent for children undergo- ing the most complex heart procedures, according to the NYT. Mortality rates continued to rise even after cardiologists expressed concern about the program's safety and quality. After the original NYT investigation, UNC suspend- ed its most complex heart surgeries and imple- mented an external advisory board. The board has since allowed the hospital to resume complex surgeries. In August 2019, regulators said the hos- pital was in compliance with federal rules, a CMS spokesperson told the NYT. At the time, UNC administrators denied problems regarding patient care, citing difficult team dynam- ics that had since been resolved by staffing and leadership changes, the NYT reported. n State laws limit flu shot access for children, health experts say By Mackenzie Bean M any states restrict pharmacies from giving flu shots to children, which hinders their access to the vac- cine and contributes to low coverage rates, health experts told CNN. Thirty states have age restrictions for children receiving flu shots at a pharmacy, while three states — Florida, Vermont and Connecticut — prohibit the practice. Seventeen states have no age requirements for pharmacy-based flu shots. Public health experts claim these restrictions create unnec- essary barriers for parents seeking to protect their children from the flu. Last season, about 42 percent of children did not receive the flu shot, according to the CDC. Allowing parents to take their child to the pharmacy for a flu shot, rather than to a pediatrician's office, would boost vaccina- tion coverage, health experts argue. CNN noted the motivation behind these state laws is unclear, especially since the American Academy of Pediatrics supports administering flu shots to children in alternative care sites like retail pharmacies. n 44% of Americans received flu shot this season: 6 survey findings By Mackenzie Bean T hirty-seven percent of adults don't plan to get a flu shot during the 2019-20 flu season, according to a survey from NORC at the University of Chicago. For the poll, NORC surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,020 adults between Nov. 7-11, 2019. Six survey findings: 1. Forty-four percent of survey respondents reported getting a flu shot this season. 2. Another 18 percent had not yet gotten the vaccine but planned to do so. 3. People over age 60 demonstrated the highest vaccination rate of all age groups (65 percent). 4. Adults ages 45-59 were least likely to report getting the flu shot (34 percent). 5. About 43 percent of adults who live with children under age 18 said they don't plan to vaccinate their kids. 6. e most common reason adults cited for not planning to get a flu shot was a concern about side effects (37 percent), followed by the belief that the vaccine is not effective (36 percent). n

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