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For a long time now, physicians have been denied a chance to make mistakes in their cause of duty. Although their work is delicate and a mistake can lead to loss of life, they are still human and thus can make mistakes at times. The way these mistakes are handled can either make the physician learn from the mistake or be too scared to work normally after the occurrence. There are various ways to handle the situation which can deter physicians from making such mistakes in future but at the same time not to torture the physician mentally. Such ways are explained below.
The traditional laws that punish a physician after he or she makes a mistake should be reassessed. Mistakes are handled in a long and involving process so that the physician moves from one claim to another. This process does not only frustrate the physician who made the mistake but also scares the other physician. Some of the laws have been reviewed but a lot still has to be done. The laws should try to balance between risk management and patient safety. This would ensure that physicians are deterred from making mistakes but also are not mistreated when they make them. In addition to that, physicians should be encouraged to learn from their mistakes. This can be made possible by allowing physicians to exchange ideas and experiences. Such forums would help physicians to open up about their mistakes helping them to know where they made a mistake. It would also serve to come up with ways in which specific mistakes could be avoided in future. When a physician makes a mistake, he or she suffers trauma. If the physician reports the mistake to the authorities, they risk being imprisoned hence most do not disclose their errors. If such platforms are made available, the physician could open up to fellow physicians and that would help him or her overcome stress.
Also, risk managers and lawyers who handle medical claims should be encouraged to focus more on why the claim occurred. Currently, people handling such claims only focus on the aftermath of the mistakes. They spend most of time carrying out investigations to prove which physician carry the greatest responsibility for the mistake and also justify that indeed the mistake led to crime. However, this should not be the case. Although the physician should face justice, the primary aim of the investigation should be to identify the reason why the mistake occurred and various ways that can be used to prevent such mistakes from taking place in future (Youngberg, 2011).
Lastly, the physician should be advised on the need to admit when they have made a mistake and request for forgiveness to the patients if possible. They should avoid living in denial or suffering psychological torture. This will make them heal faster and also restore the good relationship between them and their patients.
In conclusion, physicians are also human beings and are prone to errors. Most of the mistakes are unintentional and so being fast to judge the physicians does not only demoralize them but also hinder them from performing their duties as they ought to. However, physicians should learn from their past mistakes as well as mistakes committed by others so as to ensure the safety of their patients and thus protect life.
Reference
Youngberg, B. (2011). Principles of risk management and patient safety. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett.
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