Selfies with patient scandal at the university hospital

Selfies with patient scandal at Aachen University Hospital

22/10/2014

After taking selfies with patients from the Aachen University Hospital on the internet, the hospital management reacted. Already in September, four employees were dismissed without notice. Now, the hospital has separated from another nurse, as the "Aachen newspaper" citing a spokesman for the University Hospital reports. The background was at least two self-portraits and a video sequence taken with patients. "This is an absolute border crossing," said a clinic spokesman.

The caregivers had presumably disguised unconscious patients and make-up, then photographed with themselves and posted on What's App. Among other things, the patients were also reported to have been bared and drug use re-adjusted. As the Aachener Zeitung reports, the public prosecutor's office is currently investigating whether it may be criminal offenses such as abuse of wards, coercion or the violation of the very personal sphere of life through image recordings.

Anonymous note
The clinic management noted that the proceedings were based on an anonymous hint, according to the Aachener Zeitung. According to the Kölnische Rundschau, the German Patient Protection Foundation spoke of a violation of dignity. Again and again it happens that nurses and doctors hurt vulnerable patients in their dignity, said the Board of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch. Often there is a group dynamic in which everyone wants to outdo the other. Such cases would mostly only be detected because members of the work team intervened. In addition, Eugen Brysch told Stern, in the face of the Aachen incident, that the patient himself or his family had "little chance of protecting himself from such attacks". And: "Even if it is always about individual cases, the topic must be regularly on the agenda of team discussions.Each institution in Germany is required here.We need a culture of looking."

Imprisonment possible
As the public prosecutor informed Aachen, she will decide within the next two weeks, whether she raises charges for the proceedings against the parties. Because of the ongoing investigation, the hospital did not want to comment on details and pointed out that further information could not be given for reasons of personal rights, as nt-v reports.

According to "Krone" threatens "the responsible staff now even a prison sentence, although the hospital management has waived an ad". By law, however, "she may apply for charges of ill-treatment of protégés, with a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment." (Jp)