State Records Show Improper, Excessive Use of Electroshock Therapy in Hospitals

FORT WORTH (AP) - Electroshock therapy to ease depression was improperly used by some hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to a published report.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in Tuesday's editions that hospitals gave some patients too many treatments, administered the therapy despite patient refusals and performed inadequate medical screenings.

The violations, which occurred in late 1995 and last year, were uncovered by a random audit of hospital records by the state Health Department and have been corrected, officials said.

Doctor's Hospital in Dallas gave two elderly, terminally ill patients electroconvulsive therapy even though they were medically unstable or would not benefit from the treatment, according to Health Department records. Both died of medical complications within two weeks of their last ECT.

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