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Caboolture Hospital Scan Review Flags 38 Patients After 21,491 Images Checked

Queensland Health has ordered hospitals to verify that imaging results are reaching clinicians.

Overview

  • The audit reviewed 21,491 images from Caboolture’s Specialist Outpatient Department covering April 2023 to September 2025.
  • Thirty-eight patients who required follow-up have been contacted, with some cases delayed up to a year and one patient still being traced after moving interstate.
  • Metro North Health attributed the lapse to an April 2023 workflow change that disrupted hard‑copy distribution and left no flagging system for electronic results.
  • The issue surfaced after a cancer patient died following a five‑week delay in results, and the Health Minister said the review found no further deaths.
  • A statewide check of imaging-result procedures is underway and Metro North is commissioning an independent investigation due early next year, with officials warning some patients may face long‑term effects.