Patient waits for two days without doctor

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A patient admitted to a Los Angeles hospital was not assigned a doctor for two days in what officials termed a "Swiss cheese" incident, health authorities said.

The patient was admitted to the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, a teaching hospital, by a medical student working in the emergency room who filled out the admitting paperwork incorrectly, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

A doctor's name was entered on the paperwork, but the doctor was never called about the assignment, the newspaper said.

Dr. Mark Richman, the hospital's patient safety and clinical information technology officer, said the patient "sat for two days, getting medical care, but not under the care of a team, and without documentation in the form of an intern, resident or attending H&P (history and physical) or progress notes."

"The circumstances leading to this reflect what is known in the patient safety field as a 'Swiss cheese' event in which a series of events occurs, each of which bypasses an expected blockade of an error," Richman said.

Steps would be taken to ensure personnel page the doctor they assign a patient to and train medical students during orientation on how to admit patients, Richman said.

Reports did not identify the medical student or the patient or what the patient was being treated for, the Times said.