Evaluation of a national database of completed investigations into radiology service complaints in New Zealand: What can the radiologist, and radiology service providers, learn?

Introduction: The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) is responsible for dealing with most complaints from service users resulting from their interactions with a healthcare service provider in New Zealand. We analysed all published reports involving a radiologist or radiology service in order to gain insights that might promote safer working across the radiology community.

Methods: We searched the entire HDC online report database choosing a limit of 'radiologist' as occupation.

Lesson of the week: perils of pessaries.

Vaginal pessaries are widely considered to be a safe alternative to surgery in older women. We report a case of near fatal septicaemia in a 75-year-old woman associated with a shelf pessary, the presence of which was identified during an exploratory laparotomy. This case highlights the importance of the gynaecological history and examination when assessing older women with septicaemia of unknown source.