Health insurance news: MRI blackout clinic to be introduced UK-wide

A blackout clinic set up at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) in 2004 to check health insurance customers losing consciousness for heart problems is to be rolled out in hospitals around the UK.

Dr Adam Fitzpatrick's work indicated that thousands of people with serious cardiac conditions were being wrongly diagnosed as having epilepsy and his research has been instrumental in the introduction of new guidelines to ensure people experiencing fainting spells are referred for tests, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Approximately half of Britons will have a blackout at some point, the majority through fainting.

Dr Fitzpatrick said: "This new guidance means people across the country, not just those in Manchester, will receive the right diagnosis and treatment for blackouts - reducing the risk of a tragic misdiagnosis of epilepsy."

The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence noted that the guidelines call for medical professionals to establish the circumstances before, during and after passing out.