Neither doctors nor patients ever want to be involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit. A New England Journal of Medicine study found that 75% of psychiatrists, pediatricians, and family physicians, as well as almost 100% of orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and obstetricians will be sued at least once during their career. An interesting article from USA Today explains what part doctors can play in reducing medical errors and, in turn, medical malpractice cases.
Studies have shown that transparency is the key. The number of medical malpractice suits could be reduced if hospitals and doctors were honest, admitted to errors, and apologized to their patients immediately after the mistakes occur. While they often hesitate to do so, doctors must create and sustain open lines of communication with all their patients.
In addition, an article on the
Washington Post blog explains that medical error rates drop by nearly 60% when doctors switch from hand-written to computer-generated prescriptions. That could be another key to reducing medical malpractice suits.
Do you have any other ideas? What could doctors do to create better relationships with their patients and reduce the number of
medical malpractice cases?
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