Introduction
A medical failure is the improper activity or omission of a doctor. The reason for performing mistakes is the imperfection of modern medical science, ignorance, or inability to apply existing knowledge in practice. A medical mistake is considered to be the most contradictory phenomenon of legal understanding of the medical practice. It is necessary to separate such concepts as accidents from medical errors. After all, the outcome of an accident is related to unexpected circumstances that the physician could not have foreseen and prevented; the vast majority of medical errors could have been handled.
My Opinion about Medical Mistakes
Medical errors are inescapable and can have a detrimental effect on the patient, doctor, nurses, and hospital. After viewing the video, I thought about the significance of a medical mistake for a patient’s life. At the same time, the question appeared about the percentage of mortality due to incorrect actions of the specialist and the possibility of preventing them. Unfortunately, the death of Josie King was the stimulus for estimates of the quality of medicine and the responsibility of doctors and hospitals for the death of sufferers (PCNE NAUC, 2020). The important detail in the video was that the girl’s mother did not blame the death of only one doctor or nurse. She emphasized the systemic error provoked by lack of communication between medical staff and failure to take urgent measures to answer parental observations.
It is difficult to believe that a lack of understanding between parents and medical workers can lead to a child’s death. Although, even with the example of Josie King, it is evident that if doctors attended to the mother’s words about the child’s symptoms, the problem could be detected at the beginning (PCNE NAUC, 2020). Thus, there would be a chance to fight for the girl’s life and perhaps protect her. I was especially impressed by the further actions of the mother. She did not focus on her grief but decided to represent all patients and make everything to prevent the fatal story of her daughter from repeating. Therefore, this story presented me to analyze the actions of physicians and evaluate them as negligence. I received negative feelings and a desire to prevent more such cases. Therefore, to avoid obtaining other patients in difficult situations, it is necessary to attend to the roots of the problem and the probability of eliminating medical mistakes.
Reasons and Consequences of Medical Errors
In my mind, it is necessary to separate the grounds of medical errors into objective and subjective. The first is mainly connected with a change in views on the treatment of a particular disease. That is, traditional treatments may not be as effective as new advances in science. As a result, the patient may waste more time recovering and receiving incompetent treatment. Therefore, it can be assumed that the death of Josie King after obtaining the drug could have been prevented by choosing another analogous drug.
As for the subjective mistakes performed by doctors, in my opinion, it is insufficient communication with patients as a consequence of ignoring the complaints of sufferers or their families. One of the errors in Josie King’s story was rejecting her mother’s observations about the new symptoms of the disease (PCNE NAUC, 2020). The result of this error was the death of a child. In my think, the cause of the mistake is a reassessment of laboratory and instrumental data, prejudice against the patient, and unwillingness to recognize the ineffectiveness of treatment.
Moreover, not paying enough attention to the patient is not following medical oaths, which can eventually lead to dire outcomes such as disability or mortality. As for when prescribed drugs lead to death or deterioration of patients, it is difficult to discover the root element of the medical error. Possible reasons are not examining the body’s response to the drug or its induction into too late. In any case, the medical mistake here is based on the doctor’s lack of competence and knowledge. Thus, the results for the health or life of the sufferer can be fatal. Therefore, if a physician is found guilty of the patient’s death, it is necessary to investigate and punish those who did not provide appropriate assistance. In my understanding, the introduction of consequences for doctors will incentivize personal development and more attention to sufferers’ health.
Suggestions for Avoiding Medical Mistakes
Often, a medical mistake of physicians leads to the death or decline of the patient’s health. However, the actions of other workers, such as laboratory technicians and nurses, can also manage the decay of health. For example, untimely analysis or manipulation leads to wrong decisions about diagnosis and treatment. The nurse’s mistake was also in Josie King’s therapy when they assured the mother that rolling Josie’s eyes was the body’s normal reaction (PCNE NAUC, 2020). Therefore, every employee should be involved in the work to avoid medical errors: from the junior nurse to the doctor.
I can submit proposals to decrease the number of medical faults. An important point that has a fundamental role is creating a trusting relationship between the patient and medical staff. In addition, in my opinion, experts should explain the treatment plan and describe the manipulations and medications appointed for the sufferer. Thus, relatives or the patient will have complete information about the intentions of medical staff and will be able to objectively assess the body’s reactions. Moreover, the patient needs careful examination by a professional. If there are ambiguous situations or challenges to diagnose, doctors need to ask the view of other physicians about treatment. Conducting consultations in complex clinical cases can help save the sufferer’s life.
It is also essential to carefully fill in all the necessary documentation, from the card to the prescription for medication. This action in emergencies will assist in determining which drugs can be supplied to the patient and to which he is allergic. Furthermore, continuous training and professional development of health specialists will provide the use of the latest treatments. In my mind, it is also necessary to conduct training with physicians so that they have a clear awareness of the limits of one’s competence and the inadmissibility of going beyond it.
Conclusion
Hence after watching the video, I noticed a sense of anxiety and a desire to assist reduce the number of medical errors. Therefore, I identified the primary reasons for mistakes and their consequences for patients and doctors. As it turned out, a large number of roots that provoke a medical error are the doctor’s fault due to negligence. At the same time, the main task for me was to determine, according to the video, what actions can protect patients from the negligence of medical staff. Therefore, I described and explained the main proposals, using which physicians and nurses will be able to establish communication with patients and provide a professional treatment.
Reference
PCNE NAUC. (2020). The Josie King story [Video]. YouTube.