1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
"Drug shortage causes alarm" by Sonya Colberg.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Oct. 1, 2010.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Patients are waking up during surgery and others are dying because health care workers are forced to stretch or substitute drugs that are in critically short supply. This story looks at the causes and outcomes to this issue which affects not only Oklahoma but health care facilities nationwide. I spoke with numerous health professionals who said they were concerned and I also discovered an enlightening national survey of health professionals.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
When I checked the Internet to see if the issue had been reported, I didn't find anything in the mainstream press. I requested and received raw data, containing health professionals' anonymous comments on incidents related to drug shortages.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
This began with a tip from a local doctor. I interviewed numerous doctors, anesthesiologists, pharmacists, EMTs, plus a drug manufacturer spokeswoman, the anesthesiologist group's president and a Food and Drug Administration staffer.
6. Results (if any).
National and local media followed our lead, and ultimately almost everyone knew about the issue. Consumers were better able to make informed decisions on issues such as elective surgery. From the response I received, many readers intend to question health professionals when they have to have health care, including surgery.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No requests for correction or clarification. No one has challenged its accuracy.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Probably the toughest part was getting people to comment on the record. Once again, persistence is key. Also, journalists should mine the reports, surveys and comments of health associations to find good story ideas and potential sources.