Coping with a Medical Mistake (or More)

B'SD

10 Elul 5770


Readers, I'm a former Health Information Management professional. I knew way back when not to believe urban legends about patients who marked themselves before surgeries i.e., left shoulder, operate HERE, etc.

Why?

I knew they weren't legends. I knew medical professionals who'd made horrific blunders and patients who'd suffered them. I knew other patients who literally drew on themselves with pens or markers, in an effort to prevent such problems.

Then it became personal.

As friends clung to me minutes before my brain surgery, they were puzzled at the blue lines acoss my forehead. "That's a guide for the surgeons. An intern drew them to prevent disaster. Smart guy, huh?" I responded.

Yes, the medical world is facing the reality that doctors make human errors. And now the medical world is adding communication, including apologies, to damaged people. It won't erase the damage but it can reduce emotional scars on both sides of the surgical team.

Read this New York Times Health and Wellness blog entry Talking to Patients After a Medical Mistake and note comment 45.

I apologize for my recent spate of late-in-the-day blogposts. The heat in Israel has been brutal for weeks. I'm worn down from it and rather behind in my daily schedules.

EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.