Dr. Jim Kellner, left, professor and department head of pediatrics at the Alberta Children's Hospital; Margaret Fullerton, ACH interim vice-president; and Dr. John Cowell, CEO of the Health Quality Council of Alberta, speak to media Tuesday regarding new practices at the hospital arising from recent cases of medication mixups involving four children. (Lyle Aspinall, QMI Agency)

CALGARY - Bad communication and faulty use of equipment led to several children overdosing or receiving the wrong medication at the Alberta Children's Hospital, states an independent report.

While an author of the report said he's confident the hospital has bounced back, Dr. John Cowell said more of the 60-page document

could have been released after only a 11/2 page summary was given to the media on Tuesday.

"We need to get on with this and put everyone's mind at ease," said Cowell, CEO with the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA).

The report had been finished last October, but AHS officials said they're still working on a fully public version that won't breach confidentiality rules.

The HQCA found poor communication between a nurse and a physician prescriber led to a child receiving 15 times the required dose of an analgesic, while another youngster was given a five-fold overdose of azathioprine due to a language barrier.

A third wrongly received oral medicine intravenously that should have gone through a gastronomy tube because of a mix-up in identifying the equipment.

And a baby was given breast milk that didn't originate from its mother.

All of the incidents occurred on the same unit within a few weeks about a year ago and none of the children died.

"Technology flaws need to be corrected and there are communications issues between various health professionals that need to be improved," said Cowell, adding it appears action is being taken on about eight of the 31 priority recommendations.

"The AHS is actually moving pretty hard on a lot of these."

But AHS officials refused to divulge the conditions of the affected children, if legal action has been launched or if any disciplinary action has taken place, with Alberta Children's Hospital vice-president Margaret Fullerton, citing confidentiality.

"In this hospital, we are committed to the privacy of our patients, families and staff," she said.

"It all depends how we can manage this, we'll (release the report) as fast as we can."

Cowell said the public can have full confidence in the hospital.

"I'd bring my grandchildren here in a heartbeat," he said.

bill.kaufmann@sunmedia.ca