Standard operating procedures will be established in all public hospitals while education on risk management in medicine use will be bolstered, Hospital Authority Quality & Safety Director Dr Leung Pak-yin says.

Discussions on compensation are underway with family of a woman who died following a chemotherapy incident at the Prince of Wales Hospital.

Speaking on a radio show today, Dr Leung said the special investigation panel's report on the intrathecal administration of vincristine in Prince of Wales Hospital has been distributed to all public hospitals and medical specialties, as it offers directives on enhancing patients' safety, in particular formal checking procedures.

To improve the system of administrating chemotherapy, the authority has accepted the panel's recommendation that standard operating procedures, based on international guidelines, should be established in all public hospitals which administer intrathecal chemotherapy.

Such procedures will specify, among others, trained and designated staff for administering chemotherapy, formal checking procedures, special containers for transportation and storage of intrathecal drugs and their labelling, and physical arrangements in administering such drugs.

Some hospitals use intravenous bags to hold vincristine while some use other containers, Dr Leung said, noting the need to align different hospitals' practices.

The authority will see if protected time from clinical duties can be allowed for structured training to boost healthcare workers' awareness of the potential hazards in the use of anti-cancer therapy. This will help prevent the occurrence of similar medical mishaps, he added.

Dr Leung called on healthcare workers to learn from this unfortunate event and work towards a safer and better hospital environment for patients despite heavy work pressure.