"Ah ne'er so dire a Thirst of Glory boast, Nor in the Critick let the Man be lost! Good-Nature and Good-Sense must ever join; To err is human, to forgive divine" Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744) What is Pope saying here? My interpretation is that human error is ubiquitous, and those that forgive acceptable error are acting on a higher spiritual level.
Even doctors, occasionally (not often, compared to other professionals) make mistakes.
The issue is that the stakes are higher than in other professions.
Also, there is a common misconception that there is no such thing as acceptable medical error and that only bad physicians commit errors.
This is not true.
Good doctors realize the consequences of medical error and therefore, "cover all the possibilities" and make sure that "no stone is unturned" in their approach to patient care.
They may ask all the right questions, perform all the right tests, ensure that they receive and properly interpret all results, coordinate care with other health professionals, consider all the possible diagnoses, and weigh all the risks versus all the benefits.
Given this, they prescribe what they believe to be the best possible treatment.
However, as in all aspects of life, some things may be beyond control.
"It happens" sometimes, despite best efforts.
These unfortunate outcomes often cannot be termed errors at all.
Nothing was done wrong, but the expected outcome was negative, perhaps disastrous, instead of positive.
Sometimes in 20-20 hindsight, another approach looks like it would not have led to the same negative consequences and the concept of error and even malpractice is introduced by patient, another physician, attorney, etc.
However, if the physician acted as described above and according to acceptable practice in his community, despite the outcome, there may or may not be error, but there is no malpractice.
After the fact, this could be considered "acceptable error".
Unfortunately, the negative outcome is not acceptable to the patient or family and often is the basis for a malpractice suit.
Also, in retrospect some of these errors may have been prevented through better safeguards by health care providers or a better informed, proactive patient.
Because the stakes are so high, there is really no future "acceptable error" and we must continually learn from and prevent all medical errors.
However, we also need to do away with the concept that good doctors do not commit errors (albeit rarely), and forgive an occasional "acceptable error", when it was committed by a well meaning practitioner in the context of sound and appropriate care with proper safeguards instituted to prevent recurrence.
"To err is human, to forgive divine".
Let me know what you think.
Even doctors, occasionally (not often, compared to other professionals) make mistakes.
The issue is that the stakes are higher than in other professions.
Also, there is a common misconception that there is no such thing as acceptable medical error and that only bad physicians commit errors.
This is not true.
Good doctors realize the consequences of medical error and therefore, "cover all the possibilities" and make sure that "no stone is unturned" in their approach to patient care.
They may ask all the right questions, perform all the right tests, ensure that they receive and properly interpret all results, coordinate care with other health professionals, consider all the possible diagnoses, and weigh all the risks versus all the benefits.
Given this, they prescribe what they believe to be the best possible treatment.
However, as in all aspects of life, some things may be beyond control.
"It happens" sometimes, despite best efforts.
These unfortunate outcomes often cannot be termed errors at all.
Nothing was done wrong, but the expected outcome was negative, perhaps disastrous, instead of positive.
Sometimes in 20-20 hindsight, another approach looks like it would not have led to the same negative consequences and the concept of error and even malpractice is introduced by patient, another physician, attorney, etc.
However, if the physician acted as described above and according to acceptable practice in his community, despite the outcome, there may or may not be error, but there is no malpractice.
After the fact, this could be considered "acceptable error".
Unfortunately, the negative outcome is not acceptable to the patient or family and often is the basis for a malpractice suit.
Also, in retrospect some of these errors may have been prevented through better safeguards by health care providers or a better informed, proactive patient.
Because the stakes are so high, there is really no future "acceptable error" and we must continually learn from and prevent all medical errors.
However, we also need to do away with the concept that good doctors do not commit errors (albeit rarely), and forgive an occasional "acceptable error", when it was committed by a well meaning practitioner in the context of sound and appropriate care with proper safeguards instituted to prevent recurrence.
"To err is human, to forgive divine".
Let me know what you think.