When a New York resident must go to a hospital for surgery or other procedure, they likely hope that their doctors will perform perfectly. If doctors are not perfect, they could potentially make a mistake that leads to additional illness or injury to patients. Such outcomes could lead to negative effects that patients may have to contend with for an extended period of time, and as a result, they may wish to consider medical malpractice claims.
It was recently reported that a surgeon and author believed that the expectation for doctors to be perfect actually leads to more mistakes being made. Apparently, because doctors have the expectation to be perfect, they may be less likely to come forward and report an error that may have been made during a procedure. As a result, situations cannot be improved because the mistakes are not being discussed.
Many doctors fear the lawsuits that could potentially stem from medical mistakes. However, some states have passed legislation that allows doctors to express sympathy without admission of guilt toward patients or families of patients who did not receive the optimal outcome. Though, many individuals may not feel that sympathy is an adequate response to a negative situation.
Doctors may fear medical malpractice suits, but being reluctant to admit mistakes or attempting to cover up errors does not absolve them from potential liability. New York patients should have the ability to seek compensation for medical mistakes that lead to significantly negative outcomes. If individuals have suffered illness or injury due to medical errors, they may wish to explore their legal options.
Source: medcitynews.com, "To reduce medical errors, doctor-author explains the need to undo toxic culture of perfection", Stephanie Baum, Sept. 10, 2014
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