USE OF HOSPITAL RESTRAINTS CONTRIBUTES TO DEATH?

Saturday's Waterloo Region Record has a heart breaking story on the front page. The title is "Grieving mother questions hospital". As this is literally front page news I don't know why I can't get a link to it via the Record's website. Regardless the sub title further describes the thrust of this story namely: "Son's death spurs call for inquiry into care at Cambridge Memorial". "Her son was 25 years old. "He died in in June in Cambridge Memorial Hospital, a week after being admitted for an overdose." The mother wants accountability for her son's death as various aspects of her son's care including several days in restraints seem suspicious. A 2008 coroner's inquest into the death of a mental health patient from similar causes, in Toronto, noted the "potential lethality" of physical restraints and called for their use only when absolutely necessary and for the shortest time possible.

When an eighty or ninety year old person dies in hospital, no one is particularily surprised. A twenty-five year old who has been admitted due to an overdose should not be dying a week later and after several days of being in restraints. Clearly this case calls out for an honest, open inquiry into all the facts. The problem is that this is Ontario. Political "considerations" will arise. These include public confidence in our institutions. In an ideal scenario, transparency, accountability and openness would prevail. If this grieving mother had a few million dollars behind her she could assure herself of justice and transparency. Otherwise as I stated, this is Ontario.