In the case of a doctor operating on a patient and making a crucial mistake of not checking the details of the operation, the question of professional integrity can be raised. It can be argued that failures are inevitable and occur from time to time. However, for a medical professional, especially for a surgeon, these errors are much more significant. According to Boodman (2011), due to this fact, various systems are developed for doctors to ensure they are fully aware of the procedure required for a particular patient. While those are mandatory, professional integrity is needed from a person not to disregard the problem.
Criminal charges should be pressed in the cases of wrong-site operations. Boodman (2011) states that such occurrences are referred to as “never events” because they should never happen in a clinical setting (para. 5). However, the statistics show that surgeons do operate on wrong body parts. Patients have to continue living with the consequences of such actions. Therefore, they should have the right to receive compensation. In addition, a large number of lawsuits would pressure the healthcare establishment to adjust their policies and ensure that such errors do not happen in the future.
I chose to respond to this story because I have a high level of respect for surgeons and their work. However, I have both heard and read about cases of medical errors that could have been avoided by following simple steps. In addition, I think in some cases, medical personnel such as nurses may be afraid to question the professionalism of a surgeon during a procedure. He or she may disregard checking the details of a case, which would lead to an error. Therefore, I think it is crucial to examine the issue and identify its causes and consequences. In my clinical setting, the importance of integrity for each team member is emphasized by our leaders. By doing so, they ensure that we work in a professional environment.
References
Boodman, S. G. (2011). The pain of wrong-site surgery. The Washington Post. Web.