All
Doctors Are Human
Most
physicians do excellent work most of the time. They
help heal our illnesses, and cure our woes. They fix
our broken limbs, stitch our children when they fall,
and deliver our babies. But on occasions, physicians,
like everyone else, make mistakes.
According to one recent and much publicized study involving
physicians, errors cause between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths
annually in hospitals in the United States. A parallel
study involving nurses showed 33% were aware of at least
1 incident of patient harm caused by physician error
in the previous month alone.
Another recent article currently posted on the web page
for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(www.acog.org)
addresses concerns of residents. The study reports that
nearly 6 out of 10 residents are concerned that their
long hours may impact upon patient care.
So how does all of this affect you as the patient?
First, take an active role in your care. Do not rely
blindly on what any health care provider tells you.
There are numerous sources available for you to research
different options. There are numerous internet based
search engines that will allow you to understand your
condition, and learn what other health care providers
and patients are doing in similar cases. Two such search
engines are (a) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi
; and (b) http://www.emedicine.com.
Second, investigate your physician and learn about his/her
credentials. Has your physician performed the procedure
before? How many years training does she have? Has he
been sued before? Has she been the subject of a disciplinary
proceeding? The point is not to rely simply on the physician’s
bedside manner.
Third, if and when a mistake is made, act quickly. Use
your common sense. A bad result does not necessarily
mean that malpractice occurred. But it may. If something
occurred which you did not expect, or were not advised
of, there may be malpractice. Learn your rights promptly,
and take action.
***
All
health care providers are human, and all humans make
mistakes. No one – either because of education
or training – is immune from committing error.
If you have been victimized by a medical mistake, learn
your rights.
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