Doctor tried to ‘induce labour’ without woman’s consent

A mother-of-three has told a Medical Council inquiry how a doctor performed a procedure used to induce labour without her knowledge or consent.

The mother, referred to as Patient B, told the inquiry that Dr Andrea Hermann performed a membrane sweep on her during an antenatal appointment.

Dr Andrea Hermann, who previously worked as an obstetric and gynaecological registrar at Sligo General Hospital, faces allegations of professional misconduct and poor professional performance, as well as a contravention of a provision of the medical practitioners act 2007, at the fitness to practice hearing.

Dr Hermann is facing a number of clinical claims in relation to the care she provided to six patients, who attended Sligo General Hospital between August 2013 and February 2014.

Patient B, who lives in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, met Dr Hermann on August 15th, 2013 for an antenatal appointment. Patient B’s baby, her second, was due on August 27th, 2013.

Patient B said the labour for her first child lasted only six hours, and so herself and her family were on “high alert” for this second baby, which they expected to come very quickly.

Patient B said it was just herself and Dr Hermann in the consultation room and at first the appointment went normally. Once they had discussed how the pregnancy was going, Dr Hermann asked Patient B to get up on the examination table.

Dr Hermann checked the baby’s heartbeat, and then performed an internal examination on Patient B.

Uncomfortable

Patient B told the inquiry that there was to discussion in relation to the internal exam, which became so uncomfortable that Patient B said she started to squirm. She asked Dr Hermann what she was doing, and Dr Hermann said she was doing a sweep.

A membrane sweep, which is designed to separate the membranes of the amniotic sac from a mother’s cervix, is done in order to induce labour.

Patient B said she did not know at the time what a sweep was, but when she asked Dr Hermann about what the consequences would be, she said Dr Hermann told her: “If I was a betting woman, you’ll have this baby by Sunday.”

Patient B said that when she heard this, she was “shocked”, especially as she wanted the birth to be a natural process and to discuss any possible interventions, such as a membrane sweep, with her husband before they took place.

“I was rather alarmed it [the sweep] would happen without consultation or advice,” Patient B said.

Patient B said she also became rather alarmed because her husband was due to be working far from home that particular weekend. She said it also happened that other family members were not around at that time.

She said that after the appointment she called her husband, who also went into an alarmed state.

Thankfully, she said, Dr Hermann was wrong about the onset of labour coming so soon after the sweep, and Patient B gave birth to a healthy baby girl at the end of the month.

The inquiry continues.