HSA 6385- Blog 3

 Patient Perspective

When adverse events or medical errors occur, many physicians feel the need to cover it up and try to move forward with the patient without explaining to them what has happened, what can be done at that time and what will be done in the future to prevent this from happening again. Doctors often have a fear of being sued for medical malpractice after causing a medical error, therefore they never accept responsibility for what has happen to the patient. The problem with this situation is that nothing is done to ensure that this does not occur again; therefore another patient can become a victim of a medical error. Doctors have to be willing to accept their fate and do whatever is necessary to ensure that they are completely honest with the patient. By being honest and forthcoming with the patient, doctors and medical staff can obtain the patient’s perspective which is an important part of treatment.

A patient’s perspective is one of the most important factors when determining whether and adverse event has occurred.  These events are a traumatic time in the life of the patient and it is important to gauge their thoughts about how they are feelings, their thoughts about what has happen, and their opinion about the remaining course of their treatment.

A few years ago, my aunt who suffers from Alzheimer ’s disease was admitted into a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation after a fall. At that time, she was in the beginning stages of the disease so we were hopeful that once she was able to walk again, she would return home. During her stay at the facility, my aunt was a victim of a medical error. She was given the wrong medication; luckily after several test and visits with the doctor, there was no real harm done to her. The best part about this negative situation is that the facility did not try to “cover-up” the mistake they made. They immediately contacted the next of kin, her primary care physician, and were able to rectify the situation quickly. The facility completed the additional tests that were run as a result of the error free of charge as well as applied other discounts to her care and stay. For these reasons, my grandfather, who is in charge of her care did not sue or threaten to sue as the error was worked out by the facility acknowledging their mistakes. Everyone’s situation is not as fortunate as our family, however giving the patient or patient’s family a chance to make the best decision for their family is a very important factor after and adverse event has occurred.