In Denial About Medical Mistakes
January 15, 2008
10:59 AM ET |
Avery Comarow
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We all screw up. Me. You. Doctors and nurses. Mistakes happen. But the damage spreads like spilled acid when those who make mistakes don't learn from them. Or, worse, when they act as if nothing happened or even lie to cover up their error or incompetence. Being a patient is an act of trust; eat away at that trust, and patients who need care may begin to hesitate to ask for it.
Three new videos posted at Health Care for All, a Massachusetts nonprofit trying to improve the quality of and access to healthcare, are reminders of our vulnerabilities, whether we're patients or caregivers.
Tags: healthcare | medical errors
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U.S. News's Avery Comarow has been editor of the America's Best Hospitals annual rankings since their debut in 1990. In his reporting on all aspects of clinical medicine from the latest cholesterol guidelines to robotic surgery, he has kept one question in the front of his mind: What does this mean to patients? That perspective uniquely qualifies him to observe and comment on the efforts by hospitals and other healthcare providers to improve care and patient safety.
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