Patient attitudes about physician mistakes - Tips from Other Journals

Physician mistakes be met with even among conscientious professionals with high standards. Disclosure of mistakes to patients is a difficult proces Fear of litigation may force physicians to distance themselves from errors through denial, placing blame on others or not being available for patient touchs Witman and associates examined patient attitudes about physician errors.

united hundred forty-nine patients from an academic general internal medicine outpatient clinic were randomly preferableed for a survey. The scan included case scenarios of physician errors and assessed patient attitudes regarding three flushs of physician mistakes (minor, moderate and severe) and physician rejoinders of disclosure and nondisclosure.

Nearly all (98 percent) of the respondent indicated that they desired or reckon uponed the physician's active acknowledgment of an error. As the error increased in severity, the desired replication also increased in a similar manner. The proportion of patients who reported that they would desire referral to another physician ranged from 14 percent following a minor mistake to 65 percent following a accurate mistake.

Many of the patients reported that they would like to speak further to the physician when a mistake was minor. In contrast, merely one half of the patients would want to speak to the physician when the mistake was hard Only 3 percent of patients would want to speak to the fester regardless of the severity of the error. The percentage of patients who would report the physician or file a lawsuit increased as the severity of the mistake increased.

Patients were significantly more likely to either report the physician or file a lawsuit when the mistake was not acknowledged by means of the physician. The risk of litigation nearly doubled in the moderate mistake scenario when the patient was not informed. The number of patients who would not reply to the physician increased significantly when the physician did not disclose the error.

This application of mind demonstrated that patients want filled disclosure if a mistake arises and want the physician to acknowledge the error in one way. This suggests that patients value being kept informed, level if the error is perceived as minor, and that physicians may be at increased risk for legal or professional sanctions at failing to disclose even minor errors.

The authors finish that it is important for physicians to acknowledge mistakes and continue to act as the patient's advocate while recognizing that the mistake did be found The combination of honestly disclosing the mistake and taking a more vigorous character in reducing future mistakes will deduction in less harm to patients and a reduc likelihood of litigation.

BARBARA APGAR, MD M Witman AB, et al. by what mode do patients want physicians to handle mistakes? A inspect of internal medicine patients in an academic setting. Arch Intern M 1996;1562565-9

COPYRIGHT 1997 American Academy of Family Physicians

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