Medical Errors and Reporting
According to Chamberlain et al., approximately 98000 patients die in the US every year because of medical errors with more than one million errors occurring yearly (282). Medical practitioners are required to ethically and legally report medical errors when they happen, but many mistakes still go unreported.
While practitioners may feel the need to report errors that cause harm to the patients, a majority of them do not see the need to communicate non-harmful mistakes. Practitioners may think that errors did not cause any serious harm to the patient and therefore no obligation to disclose. Fear of patient litigation and blame may keep practitioners from revealing a non-harmful error. However, I feel that reporting all medical errors is an essential step towards improving patients' safety and quality of life, and should be encouraged. I was interested in this particular problem because it is crucial to point out the importance of reporting non-harmful medical errors because it has been researched less.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency life-saving procedure that aims at preserving brain function after instances such as a heart attack, or when an individual has stopped breathing. A patient may obtain CPR that will not work and result in a reduced quality of life while some opponents of CPR feel that a natural death order is a right path to follow (Rubulotta, "Rubulotta 266). However, CPR has been known to save lives if the procedure is performed on time. Should medical practitioners provide CPR or take into consideration other factors such as religion and an individual's quality of life if the patient lacks a DNR order? I believe that unless a patient has a DNR order, the resuscitation procedure should be carried out. I choose this problem because many individuals require CPR during medical emergencies, most of who have not talked about CPR with their physicians.
The Importance of Reporting Medical Errors
Medical errors contribute to a large number of deaths in the US annually. There are a variety of medical errors that may be seen as non-harmful such as documentation of medical records. Physicians, nurses, surgeons, and medical assistants are the significant groups that face the dilemmas on whether to report medical errors or not. Patients trust their lives on these groups of people every day, which brings about the importance of disclosure of medical errors.
Medical practitioners are ethically and legally required to ensure that patient safety is maintained, and failure to disclose medical errors lead to the creation of an unsafe environment for the patients. Further, patients are less likely to sue if the mistake is revealed immediately and an apology offered. However, if a patient feels that the healthcare practitioner is withholding information, they will be more inclined to sue (Chamberlain et al. 285). Reporting medical errors will improve the trust of patients in practitioners as well as improve patients' quality of care and safety.
Works Cited
Chamberlain, Catherine J. et al. "Disclosure of “Nonharmful” Medical Errors and Other Events." Archives of Surgery, vol 147, no. 3, 2012, pp. 282-287. American Medical Association (AMA), doi:10.1001/archsurg.2011.1005. Accessed 8 July 2018.
Rubulotta, Francesca, and Giorgia Rubulotta. "Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation And Ethics". Revista Brasileira De Terapia Intensiva, vol 25, no. 4, 2013, pp. 265-269. GN1 Genesis Network, doi:10.5935/0103-507x.20130046. Accessed 8 July 2018.
