Learning Objectives: At the end of this activity, you will be able to: Identify
ID: 385778 • Letter: L
Question
Learning Objectives: At the end of this activity, you will be able to:
Identify at least two long-term impacts of adverse events.
Discuss how compensation after adverse events can affect patients’ lives.
Description: Lewis Blackman, a healthy 15-year-old boy, died in 2000 after an elective surgery. In this video, Helen Haskell, his mother, gives an example of the long-term impact of adverse events on patients and families.
Discussion Questions:
Who do you think is responsible for paying for medical care that’s needed because of an adverse event? What mechanisms do you know of to compensate victims of medical harm?
Do you agree that death and injury from medical harm should be considered a preventable tragedy? Why or why not?
Why do you think people sometimes don’t view medical harm as preventable tragedy?
If you became disabled because of a medical error, how would it change your life?
earning Objectives: At the end of this activity, you will be able to:
Explain why communication after adverse events is a professional obligation.
Discuss the impact of silence on patients and families who suffer adverse events.
Description: Lewis Blackman, a healthy 15-year-old boy, died in 2000 after an elective surgery. In this video, Helen Haskell, his mother, explains why providers should communicate with patients and families after adverse events.
Discussion Questions:
Do you agree that providers have a professional obligation to communicate with patients and families after adverse events?
Why do you think it’s difficult for providers to speak with patients and families about things that go wrong?
Haskell defines health care professionals as people who put the interests of their patients above their own. How do you define a healthcare professional?
Explanation / Answer
Human beings are bound to make errors irrespective of experience they have, hence medical errors are inevitable. This has disastrous effect on all the parties involved like patient, family, doctor and hospital. Medical errors can be reduced but cannot be eliminated.
It is duty of doctor and hospital to inform patient and his family about adverse effect of medical procedure. In many cases patient will be left with no choose other than to accept adverse effect. For example, a cancer patient when subjected to chemotherapy will lose hair and would be subjected to severe body pain. Still patient will be left with no choose and has to undergo chemotherapy.
It is highly difficult to say who is liable for medical errors. Fixing liability on doctor might deter him from doing medical procedure which leads to further complications and might lead to death of patient. Fixing liability on hospital leads to discouraging hospital from treating such patients. Health cost are already higher and are out of reach for common man, fixing liability will further increase cost of medication for patients. Probably best solution to the problem is insurance. Hospital can insure patient for medical errors at free of cost which reduces burden on all parties.
No, I don’t agree that death and injury from medical care should be considered as preventable tragedy. This is because different patient response to medical procedure in different manner, it depends on body condition. For example, doctor might have used X chemical on multiple patients and been successful but when he uses same on other patient he might die. Since doctors are also humans they are also prone to make mistake which is not in there control. Hence final results are not controllable and hence it is not preventable tragedy. one can take injury from medical care has reducible tragedy, one has to learn from failures and ensure such mistakes never repeat.
Yes, doctors have professional obligation to communicate patient and their family about adverse effect and take their approval. This keeps patient and family well informed about adverse effect and look for possible alternatives.
Yes, I agree and define health care professions as people who put the interest of their patient above their own. Most health care profession join the profession with the motto of serving people and to make this world healthier. There might be some exception which are coomon in every sector.
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