As the American public debates the issue of universal health insurance, doctors are debating the reasons for medical mistakes, which happen all too often. Patient safety advocate Dr. Robert M. Wachter offers numerous theories about the causes of medical mistakes and contends that individuals, as well as health systems and facilities, must be held responsible.
Medical mistakes occur thousands of times each year. For example, wrong-site surgeries have become an increasing problem, where a physician operates on the wrong arm or leg. Other mistakes include misdiagnoses, incorrect dosages for medication and incorrect treatment protocol.
Wachter claims that at least half of the medical mistakes committed in the United States could be avoided with adequate attention and safety policies. He says that in many cases, so-called improvements to medical procedures have created new problems. For example, many hospitals have reduced work hours for residents, which is supposed to eliminate fatigue. However, when residents hand over patients to other doctors, miscommunications often result, causing other types of medical mistakes.
In terms of wrong-site surgeries, Wachter says that hospitals tried to eliminate this problem by requiring doctors to mark the surgical site before operating. However, this can result in such mistakes as marking the right hand when it is actually one of the fingers on that hand that requires attention.
Wachter feels that health care providers need to accept responsibility for medical mistakes and create a culture in which patient safety is the top priority. He says that many hospitals have adopted a "no blame" policy to focus on improving medical procedures and protocol. However, when physicians take no personal responsibility, nothing gets resolved.
Additionally, Wachter recommends that hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities require higher levels of obedience to the rules. Hand-washing rules, for example, are followed only 60 percent of the time, which is unacceptable, he adds.
According to Newsweek, the United States is actually behind other developed countries in terms of cracking down on medical mistakes. In countries such as France and Germany, mistake percentages are much lower, resulting in better patient safety.
One reason for this might be the consistency of patient-doctor relationships. In the United States, patients who switch employers often have to switch health insurance providers, which means finding new physicians. When patients aren't allowed to develop long-term relationships with their doctors, medical mistakes are more likely to occur because physicians aren't as familiar with their patients' needs.
If you have been the victim of a medical mistake, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney who can advise you of your options.
