From the Just-Plain-Odd Department: You never know what you’re going to get in the mail…

By David F. Rooney

You never know what you’re going to find in your mail box: a bill, a flyer, a post card, a letter saying perhaps you should get a new ultrsasound for that pregnancy that began in 2003…

Wait a minute!

That was pretty much Krista Cadieux’s reaction when she read a recently received letter from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

“On October 09,2003,” said the letter, which was similar to ones sent to about 7,000 other women, “you had an obstetrical ultrasound performed at Powell River General Hospital. As a result of our quality review process we have subsequently learned that the radiologist who read your ultrasound was not, in fact, authorized to do so. Although he is an experienced radiologist, it has come to our attention that he ahd not completed some of the additional education required to be reviewing ultrasound scans alone.

“If you have not yet delivered, please discuss with your physician if you should consider a repeat ultrasound study. If you have already delivered, we want you to know that, despite this unfortunate situation, there is no clinical follow up indicated and health-related action for you to take.”

It’s not a big thing, just a little weird, particularly eight years after her delivery.

“This probably passed through six different sets of hands before it was sent out,” Cadieux said. “The oddest thing is that it was signed by three different doctors who obviously didn’t even read it.”

Cadieux laughs at the foolishness of bureaucrats who don’t read what they’ve written.

“It’s a little weird,” she said.

Click here to read the letter here.