A regional emergency room still lacks cultural awareness years after an Indigenous man died following a misdiagnosis, a coronial inquest has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Speaking before a coronial inquest, Dubbo hospital doctor James McBride said more than two years after the death of Ricky Hampson Jr - known to family as Dougie - the emergency room still lacks understanding about the needs of Indigenous patients.
He said while some things have improved since Mr Hampson Jr's hospital stay in August, 2021, there is still a way to go.
"There is a lack of understanding and awareness of what it means for an aboriginal person to present to hospital, the level of fear that exists in our community and the lack of trust of Indigenous people in our hospital system," the Indigenous doctor told the court on Thursday, February 29.
"I dont feel our culture is completely understood by non-Indigenous people, which allows an area where cultural safety isn't at its best."
Dr McBride was one of the doctors on shift during Mr Hampson Jr's hospital stay. He took over care of Mr Hampson Jr after Dr Sokol Nushaj and Dr Lisa Hu finished their shifts late in the evening of August 14.
He said in the handover he received from Dr Nushaj, who was senior to him, he was told that Mr Hampson Jr had been diagnosed with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and that he was to stay overnight for monitoring.
In reality, the pain Mr Hampson Jr presented to hospital with was caused by two lacerated ulcers which went undetected and untreated.
Dr McBride said at the time he had no reason to question the diagnosis, but in hindsight he wished he had taken the time to examine Mr Hampson Jr himself.
"Being in charge of a busy department there were many many other competing priorities... including patients in the resuscitation bay that needed attention," he said.
"In retrospect, knowing the autopsy result, I would assume there could have been a clinical detection with an examination."
Dougie was 'really scared' of hospitals
Through the course of the two-week coronial inquest, Deputy State Coroner Erin Kennedy will attempt to determine whether racial bias played a part in Mr Hampson Jr's fatal misdiagnosis.
She will also be making recommendations to the Western NSW Local Health District on how to better meet the needs of Indigenous patients.
Dr McBride said while there have been some changes since Mr Hampson Jr's fateful stay, the hospital still has a way to go. He said there is still a lack of awareness about the fear Indigenous people have about seeking healthcare.
According to Callan O'Neill, counsel for Mr Hampson Jr's parents, Mr Hampson Jr wrote to a sick relative in 2017 apologising for not visiting because he was "really scared" of hospitals.
"They have a fear that if they go to hospital they're not going to be taken seriously," Dr McBride said.
"A lot of that fear stems from the history of this country and generational trauma, but it also stems from cases like this which we see and hear about."
The coronial inquest into the death of Ricky Hampson Jr continues at Dubbo court on Friday, March 1.
