Shortage of cardiac testing staff puts patients at risk, Manitoba union says

A shortage of specialists who conduct urgent cardiac diagnostic testing is causing delays in care for some patients, and some tests are being performed by people who don't have proper training, according to a union that represents health-care workers in Manitoba.

The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals says there aren't enough electrocardiogram technologists to perform testing in a timely fashion when an urgent case shows up at a hospital.

"Every minute counts," said Bob Moroz, president of the union, which represents all 92 cardiology technologists in the province.

An electrocardiogram, also known as an EKG or ECG, is a test that checks how the heart is functioning. It can be critical in determining whether someone is having a heart attack.

According to international standards, EKGs should be performed within 10 minutes from when a patient with cardiac symptoms shows up in a health-care facility, the union says.

That's not happening in all cases, the union says, which puts patients at risk.

"It is rare that we are meeting that [target], even when we have cardiology technologists on staff, because of the shortage … [and] increased demand," said Moroz.

The union wants the province to recruit and train more cardiology technicians.

Testing performed by other professionals

EKGs are normally performed by people who are certified by the Canadian Society of Cardiology Technologists, which requires passing a 56-week program, Moroz said.

For years, in rural settings where technologists are not always available, these tests have often been performed by other staff — like X-ray technologists or lab technicians.

Moroz said this practice is now happening more often and in larger health-care centres, like Brandon Regional Health Centre and Grace Hospital in Winnipeg.

"We're hearing reports of doing at least 15 urgent EKGS over the night at the Grace, and that's when they have no cardiology technologist on staff," Moroz said.

The province says it acknowledges there are long-standing challenges in the cardiology technologist staffing, but could not provide information on the vacancy rate among these positions.

Patients who need electrocardiograms "can be assured that all hospital staff who perform these tests are properly trained and have completed all their required competencies to do so," a spokesperson for Shared Health said in an emailed response.

The staff who read and review the tests also have the required training, the spokesperson said.

The province said it's working to address staffing challenges, including recruiting students who are set to graduate.

Shortage puts pressure on other staff: union

Moroz said other medical technicians who preform EKGs are often given just a few hours of training. That can lead to improper diagnoses, the need for duplicate testing and adverse outcomes in some cases, he said.

"Every time you go beyond what is the standard time frame for a diagnostic result in an emergency situation, it is not a stretch to assume negative outcomes have occurred," he said.

Pulling staff from other areas also creates a backlog of work in their own departments, Moroz said, and staff are concerned about doing a job they haven't been fully trained to do.

"They do not want to make an error, and it is an enormous amount of stress on those non-cardiology technologists who are being forced to perform these tests because our employers are refusing to staff us appropriately."