Two annual reviews of hospitals in the Sydney West Area Health Service that claim 49 patients died over two years due to medical mistakes has led opposition leaders to call for annual reviews of hospital mistakes to be made public, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Australian Medical Association has claimed that the mistakes highlight poor communication and delays in responding to deteriorating patients. Overall, 110 cases of adverse events were investigated, according to the Herald. In both years, about 80% of mistakes were found to be related to a system failure.

British Columbia hospitals are testing a Web-based monitoring system to help detect the superbug C. difficile outbreaks earlier, reports the Globe and Mail.

Three patients have died from outbreaks in the area since April, according to the Globe and Mail. The system will be pilot tested this summer and is expected to be implemented in all hospitals of the province by the end of the year.

After Queensland Health Minister Stephen Roberston declared that five pilot hospitals would be given physician assistants who would work under the guidance of a qualified physician, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called the program a possible threat to patient safety, according to the Australian.

The AMA said that despite the fact that new physician assistants would be under supervision, their use in surgical procedures could compromise patient safety. The method of using physician assistants was developed in the U.S. and has been tested in Canada and Britain, reports the Australian.