How does a patient under anesthetic discover they have been sexually assaulted?
And how could a sexual assault take place in a busy operating room full of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel? Would the assault have to take place in a fleeting moment when a health care worker was alone with a patient or possibly carried out surreptitiously with others around?Those are some of the questions being asked after a veteran anesthetist at North York General Hospital was charged with three counts of sexual assault against three women ranging in age from their mid-30s to late-80s. According to police, they were assaulted while undergoing surgical procedures. Dr. George Doodnaught, 61, worked at the hospital for 28 years. Saying he has also worked at other medical facilities in the Greater Toronto Area, investigators are trying to determine if there may be other victims. During a press conference Thursday, March 11, hospital president Bonnie Adamson and acting chief of staff Dr. David White offered few details on the specifics of the case because it is under investigation. Adamson did say the hospital received a complaint from a patient in mid-February and moved quickly to ensure Doodnaught was no longer working at the hospital, although she would not say whether he has been suspended or terminated."The arrest of this physician is the result of an ongoing police investigation stemming from patient complaints," Adamson added."We have been cooperating fully with police during this investigation and will continue to do so."The hospital is trying to determine the number of surgical procedures Doodnaught was involved in over the years."He has been a very busy physician and he worked here for 28 years," she said, adding he would have been the anesthetist in several operations a day. White called the allegations very rare."In my over 30 years as a family physician, I can tell you that this is an extremely unusual situation," he said."Although I cannot discuss the specifics of these cases, I think you know the surgical environment is a busy place with many people coming and going."He told reporters that, generally speaking, surgical patients are attended to by many medical staff but he couldn't rule out an anesthetist ever being left alone with a patient.Adamson would not say whether the alleged sexual assaults occurred when the accused was alone with victims or if they happened in the presence of others.The hospital is investigating its procedures to determine if policies, including those protecting patients, have to be strengthened, she added.Asked how a patient under anesthetic would discover they had been sexually assaulted, White said patients waking after surgery can have a "variety of experiences and memories."Asked by The Mirror if anesthetic could cause someone to have false memories, White said anesthetic can cause vivid hallucinations but he doesn't know whether that can make someone believe something happened that didn't.Adamson said hospital staff are "shocked and devastated" by the allegations, adding her heart goes out to the victims and their families.Doodnaught has been granted bail with conditions. He is scheduled to appear in court April 1.Anyone with information that may help investigators is asked to call police at 416-808-4040 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).The investigation has also prompted the hospital to boost coverage of its patient and family information line at 416-756-6271.