Personal Injury Law

Much Reform Needed Before Patient Safety Improves

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

The Las Vegas Sun recently profiled a Chicago doctor who is going against the grain and taking a stand for the improvement of patient safety. For many doctors, news of a medical error begins a process of cover-ups, legal stonewalling, and excuses. However, some brave physicians take responsibility for the errors, seek to provide relief to the victims, and attempt to learn from the occurrence so that future victims are spared.

The newspaper profile here explains how the doctor is working to properly handle mistakes. Part of that proper handling involves hospitals proactively launching investigations while keeping the patient abreast of all developments. It also involves changing protocol so that whatever steps led to the original error is not repeated. Unfortunately far too many doctors and hospitals fail to follow this plan. Instead, the motto ?it is a mistake to admit a mistake? remains alive and well.

Part of the difficulty in changing the medical mindset around mistakes rests in generational differences. Many of the older doctors who currently sit atop the food chain of medical hierarchies have been trained in the older model which encourages doctors not to admit mistakes. Overall, the new approach both helps improve the relationship between the patient and the doctor but also works to improve patient safety overall.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on December 27, 2010 (boomark / email).