More information sought by patients on medical errors

Medical mistakes is one of the ills plaguing the field of medicine and patients are now demanding that they be given full information when a medical error happens. However, doctors are often reluctant to give full disclosure, not because they do not care. In fact, doctors confessed to being haunted for many years by their mistakes. In the Washington University School of Medicine, researchers conducted several focus group studies involving patients, doctors, and patients and doctors together. The study was conducted to find out the attitude of patients and doctors towards medical errors. Researchers found that patients wanted to know if a mistake occurred during their treatment, why it happened, and how it might be prevented in the future. Also, unsuprisingly, they wanted to have an apology. Doctors, on the other hand revealed many barriers, which prevented them from giving full details of the errors. It was learnt during the interactions that doctors feared legal action, and also that their admission might harm the patient or decrease their trust.

Researchers suggested that medical institutions should strive to create a blame-free culture, which will help the doctors to give more information to patients and put patients at ease and restore doctor-patient trust.