Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Safety & Quality
October 01, 2014 01:00 AM

Ebola patient was initially released, Texas hospital admits

Steven Ross Johnson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Lester

    Hospital officials at the Dallas facility currently treating the first Ebola case diagnosed in the U.S. said Wednesday that the patient was initially released from the emergency department without being identified as a possible carrier for the virus.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Tuesday that laboratory results for an unidentified patient currently receiving care in an isolation unit at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas came back positive for the Ebola virus that has killed more than 3,000 people in West Africa since March.

    At a news conference held in Texas Wednesday, Texas Health Resources Vice President Dr. Mark Lester said that a checklist had been in place at the hospital several weeks prior to the patient's arrival, and that a nurse asked the man whether he had recently traveled to West Africa. Lester said a miscommunication between members of the care team assigned to treat the patient led personnel to mistakenly lower the risk status of the man, which led to his release.

    Related Content

    CDC confirms Ebola case at Texas hospital

    “Regretfully, that information was not fully communicated throughout the full team,” Lester said. “As a result, the full import of that information wasn't factored in to the clinical decision-making.”

    At the same news conference, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the infected man—whom the Associated Press has identified as Thomas Eric Duncan—had come into contact with five children, and that they were being monitored for signs of infection over the next three weeks. As many as 18 people are being watched for the possibility of symptoms developing, including three members of an ambulance crew that transported the man back to the hospital where he was admitted Sept. 28, 10 days after he first arrived in the U.S. from Liberia.

    Those identified as possibly being exposed to the virus will be monitored for up to 21 days, the period of time it can take before symptoms occur.

    Hospital officials described Duncan's condition as of Wednesday as “serious but stable.” Texas state health officials have insisted the risk to the general public of a possible outbreak was minimal.

    Despite the communication mishap, Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner Dr. David Lakey was adamant about the ability of the healthcare provider to treat and contain the disease.

    “This is not West Africa,” Lakey said. “This is a very sophisticated city, a very sophisticated hospital, and the dynamics are significantly different from what they are in West Africa.”

    Duncan left Liberia on Sept. 19, arriving in the U.S. one day later to visit with family members living in Texas. Officials have not disclosed his nationality or how he was exposed to the disease. The patient reportedly displayed no symptoms while traveling, according to CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden. The patient began feeling sick around Sept. 24, and initially sought treatment with a visit to the hospital's emergency department on Sept. 26.

    “The bottom line here is that I have no doubt that we will control this case of Ebola so that it does not spread widely in this country,” Frieden said Tuesday. “It is certainly possible that someone who had contact with this individual, a family member or another individual, could develop Ebola in the coming weeks, but there is no doubt in my mind that we will stop it here.”

    Duncan marks the first-ever case of a person being positively diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. There have been more than 6,500 people infected throughout the countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal in the worst recorded outbreak of the disease.

    Four American aid workers have gotten sick while in West Africa and were transported in recent months back to the U.S. for treatment at facilities with special isolation units.

    Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHsjohnson

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Ecri kids main mental health STATIC
    Pediatric mental health, workplace violence are top 2023 safety concerns: ECRI
    A patient safety student with the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine vaccinates a patient.
    Patient safety courses a tough sell at medical schools
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing