• About Us
  • Contact Us
Account
GTB
  • Home
  • News
  • Premium
  • Business
  • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Retail/Fashion
  • Podcast
    • Business Chat
    • Retiring Richly
    • Sika Nkommo
  • Videos
  • Analysis/Features
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Premium
  • Business
  • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Retail/Fashion
  • Podcast
    • Business Chat
    • Retiring Richly
    • Sika Nkommo
  • Videos
  • Analysis/Features
No Result
View All Result
Account
Ghana Talks Business
No Result
View All Result

How to handle a predecessor’s error

02/07/2015
Reading Time: 2 mins read
405
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsApp

Q: I often see patients I believe have been the victim of another doctor’s medical error. Do I have an ethical obligation to tell them I think they have not received effective treatment? Am I also obligated to tell the other doctor before I speak with the patient? How does one balance making someone aware that a mistake has been made with the imperative not to accuse someone falsely?

A: Everyone makes mistakes — even doctors. “Errors happen in medicine. They just do,” said B Aviva Preminger, a medical ethicist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, who is also a plastic surgeon at Columbia University.

The centuries-old Hippocratic Oath obligates doctors to do no harm. Once that goal is accomplished, they must think about taking care of their patient in the best way possible. Sometimes that means having some uncomfortable conversations.

“While communication and understanding are not ethical principles in medicine, they are certainly essential in providing quality patient care,” Preminger said.

The dilemma is hardly limited to medicine — similar ethical codes are common among a variety of trades, from plumbers to childcarers.

In this case, “doing no harm” requires that the current doctor contact the former one, Preminger says. For one, it will help the newest physician understand the patient’s medical history. Careful, non-confrontational questioning will also help determine whether an error occurred and what the next steps should be.

There are at least two benefits. If the patient hasn’t suffered any harm, you are alerting the other doctor so he or she can learn from any possible mistakes. If medical complications or unintended side effects did arise, you’re giving the other doctor the chance to discuss the error with the patient directly.

If the former doctor doesn’t return calls promptly, “obtain old records if they are relevant,” said Preminger.

As for speaking to the patient, don’t bring up a possible mistake unnecessarily. Pointing fingers “generally only creates stress and anxiety for the patient,” she said. But if the patient’s health depends on knowing what happened with the prior doctor’s care — for instance, if he has developed a condition he will need to have treated — then it is up to you, the current doctor, to share this news.

The key to resolving the dilemma is gathering as much information as possible. Once you understand what happened, you will be in a better position to know whether this was an honest mistake. Just because something went wrong does not mean it was the doctor’s fault.

“Medical error and medical negligence are not one and the same,” Preminger said.

A similar theory holds true outside of medicine as well: an error at work is not always due to negligence or malfeasance on the part of an individual. Sometimes, it’s nobody’s fault, and the best course of action is to focus on making sure such a mistake does not happen again.

credit: BBC Capital

Previous Post

Ghana’s economy to get major boost from World Ban

Next Post

Want to Earn More Money? Follow These 7 Tips

Related Posts

MostBet Registration Bangladesh

29/12/2023

28/12/2023

Праздничные подарки от 1 win насладитесь Новым Годом с дополнительными выгодами!

22/12/2023

How does the sizing of sp5der clothing run

22/12/2023

Azərbaycanda rəsmi sayt

20/12/2023

Mostbet Casino Azərbaycan üçün imkanlarını təqdim edir

20/12/2023
Next Post

Want to Earn More Money? Follow These 7 Tips

Women's football: how brands can ride the gathering wave of popularity

  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Ghana Talks Business

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Premium
  • Business
  • Personal Finance
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Retail/Fashion
  • Podcast
    • Business Chat
    • Retiring Richly
    • Sika Nkommo
  • Videos
  • Analysis/Features
  • Login

© 2023 Ghana Talks Business

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In