Systemic problems need to be fixed

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/09/2024 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The recent conviction and sentencing of Dr. Arcel Bissonnette to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting seven patients over the course of nearly two decades highlights the importance of evaluating what can be done to prevent something like this from happening again.

The evidence heard at Dr. Bissonnette’s trial indicates that there should be “better public education regarding women’s health issues.” One issue arising out of this determination is who would provide this “education”?

A few years ago, the obvious answer to this question would have been that the responsibility should fall to the Manitoba Institute of Patient Safety (MIPS).

Unfortunately, in July 2021 our previous provincial government “integrated” MIPS under Shared Health’s Quality and Learning service.

When MIPS was in operation, it was an excellent service for patients seeking educational programs and answers to patient questions about medical services. As far as I can determine, MIPS has been replaced by a website with no contact information. If MIPS was still in existence, it would probably highlight a few issues for patients.

First, patients would do well to trust their instincts. While western society tends to look upon intuition with contempt, the reality is that our intuition is a resource we should not ignore. If, as a patient, you feel you have been medically mistreated, you well may be justified in coming to that conclusion.

The question which then arises is, what does a patient do with that belief? To help a patient objectively assess their medical experience, MIPS might reference the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) standards of practice.

Patients should be aware of the standards that relate to good medical care, including Section 5, Informed Consent and Section 3(1) c and d, which outline the requirement of a physician to consider the patient’s values, preferences and culture, as well as the responsibility to discuss the potential for pain and discomfort, the invasiveness of the procedure and reasonable alternative examinations and treatments.

If a patient concludes subjectively and objectively that they have been mistreated by a physician, the next question which emerges is, what do they do with that information? In this regard, patients should be educated about the need to confront the denial, minimization, rationalization, justification and blaming that accompanies allegations of sexual abuse.

In other words, a patient needs to be aware that they may not be believed. Kamala Harris, in her presidential nomination acceptance speech, stated that, “A harm against anyone of us is a harm against all of us.” Margaret Atwood said, “This above all, to refuse to be a victim.”

These words reflect the kind of support and fortification patients need when they deal with the people and organizations charged with the responsibility to investigate and adjudicate allegations of sexual abuse.

It is a telling commentary that five women are now suing Dr. Bissonnette, the Seine Medical Centre, the Ste. Anne Hospital, Southern Health and Shared Health, stating that “insufficient or no efforts at all were made” to investigate their claims and to provide “timely” reports to the CPSM.

When one considers the allegations involved in this civil suit, along with the way the Ste. Anne Police mishandled this case, it is no wonder Justice Sadie Bond commented that these women “demonstrated courage and strength in coming forward … and resolving to take back their lives.”

In assessing, however, the potential to prevent further episodes like this, we must look beyond these victim/survivors to a system that needs to be more vigilant, diligent and educated in how it functions.

Albert Einstein said, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them and do nothing.”

How many times does a pattern have to repeat itself before we recognize it for what it is?

Mac Horsburgh is a patient advocate who lives in Winnipeg.