The Importance Of Medical Complications

To most of society, medical errors reflect poorly on a doctor. Many accuse the physician of being negligent and incompetent in the event of a medical error, but the truth is they are simply human. The stigmatization of medical errors is a result of the high, almost god-like, expectations society has placed upon physicians. In his book Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science, Dr. Atul Gawande highlights several reasons doctors have trouble admitting their medical mistakes and why they shouldn’t. There are several reasons physicians fail to admit their mistakes, most of them revolve around their career reputations. One of the biggest barriers in admitting a medical mistake is the fear of a malpractice lawsuit. The

As medicine becomes more commercialized, patient-physician relationships become less intimate and thus patients hold less sympathy for doctors who make mistakes. Having no emotional ties to their physician, patients are more likely to change doctors after they discover their current one has made a mistake. This is a problem for physicians as it is a loss for their business and ultimately their revenue. Because physicians want to keep a steady influx of patients and avoid malpractice they have equated mistakes to loss of business. “It’s almost impossible for a physician to talk to a patient honestly about mistakes because of the doctors fear they will lose patients” (Gawande 58) But, a 2006 study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found full disclosure of error reduces likelihood that patients will change physician and improves satisfaction, increases trust, and results in a generally positive response from the patient. By fully explaining why the error occurred and how the patient should have been treated, the doctor takes responsibility for the error, which many patients respect and appreciate. This appreciation can go a long way in the patient-physician relationship and in most cases, help the patient forgive his