Medscape: Doctors who make errors are not "second victims"

[drusso]

No, Doctors Who Make Errors Are Not 'Second Victims'

The road to fixing an unsafe system does not require making everyone involved a victim, says Dr Art Caplan.

www.medscape.com

"Any patient can be the victim of medical error. Any clinician can be involved in both culpable and nonculpable mistakes. But the road to fixing an unsafe system does not require making everyone involved a victim. Sure, support clinicians who are struggling with guilt or regret by all means, but let's demand long-overdue change from those in charge so that safety become a priority that makes the actual victims of error a rarity."

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[hyperalgesia]

"Some progress is being made in both reforming systems to emphasize and increase safety and in dealing with patients who are harmed or killed."

This is a myth being sold by bureacrats imo. More faith is being removed from the physician and into EHRs, box-checking, support staff, statistics, bureaucrats, and politicians.

It's basically the same myth that more people have "healthcare" thanks to insurance companies.

 

[KHE]

Interesting topic. What, in your mind is the best way to reduce medical errors?

 

[hyperalgesia]

Interesting topic. What, in your mind is the best way to reduce medical errors?

On a state level:
-Make selling "health insurance" illegal
-Eliminate Medicare payments to physicians.

If a patient needs care, they have 2 options: pay cash or seek charity care.

We never needed a middle man in healthcare.

The best way to reduce medical errors is by giving ownership of the provision of healthcare back to physicians. THEY will decide whether to use EHR. They are accountable for medical allergies and mistakes. Patients will hold THEM accountable for high volume, impersonal care.

 

[Ducttape]

er... misses the point.

medical errors existed before government entry into healthcare. no correlation.

but there is a significant correlation in the past with initiation of medicare and both improved life expectancy and better living situation financially for seniors...

 

[Orin]

Law of triviality - Wikipedia

It's easier to talk about victims than it is to actually fix the complex system that creates them

Not to conflate things, but this is similar to offering healthy snacks and group yoga for the burnt out folks rather than addressing the hard issues of poor EHRs, reduced autonomy, etc