We need to do a better job in managing patient expectations:
Healthcare is not a commodity like a Toyota that can be turned out, day after day, in exactly the same way. Every human body is unique. At any moment, a surgeon may run into a surprise. Your cancer may be hiding in place that makes it very difficult to detect on a mammogram””not impossible, but very difficult. And while the person reading your test probably would have caught it nine days out of ten, this is the day that he didn’t.Expecting our physicians to be perfect only tempts them to “cover up” any mistakes, which leads, in turn, to worse outcomes.
Remove fault from the malpractice equation. Understand that mistakes happen, and in these cases, patients should be fairly compensated in an expedient manner. The current system is a complex, lengthy legal process that fails patients more often than not.
Instead, we’re going the other way. Hospitals are being punished with an increasing list of “never” events – some of which cannot be prevented.
Expecting perfection from doctors and hospitals will further deteriorate the trust patients have in the profession. It’s an ideal that can never be realized, which will inevitably lead to patient anger and disappointment.
Related posts:
- A lawyer on Medicare error P4P
- Is perfection in medicine really the best thing?
- How the deck is stacked against patient apologies
- Physician apologies, and does saying you’re sorry mean it’s your fault?
- My USA Today column on why medical malpractice reform is needed
- Never events and perfection
- Defensive medicine
Comments on this entry are closed.