The high rates of malpractice suits raise the question Shoul

The high rates of malpractice suits raise the question, \"Should healthcare professionals not be allowed to make any mistakes?\" Consider the following case. In your estimation, is failing to pursue further testing simply a mistake? Consider this from the point of view of the risk manager and of the patient\'s spouse.

A 38-year-old female was admitted to the emergency room of Goodcare Hospital with symptoms that suggested a gastrointestinal problem. The attending physician performed all the routine tests, and the results were normal. During the time the patient was in the ER, she had uncontrolled diarrhea and grew weaker. The medication given did not help. The patient died, and the autopsy revealed that she was suffering from giardiasis, an intestinal parasitic infection. This infection is not detected by routine parasitic testing. If detected, the infection can be effectively treated with antibiotics. In this case, if the patient had been correctly diagnosed, she would likely have recovered quickly and lived. The attending physician was sued for negligence for failing to diagnose the infection. A jury awarded the woman’s husband $725,000.

Solution

Irrespective of the profession, every human being makes mistakes, the frequency of which might vary depending upon multiple factors like the profession,training, experience, other internal and external factors. Few professions that directly impact the lives of the people need to be extremely intolerant to mistakes.Healthcare field involves treatment of health issues of patients by the healthcare providers who are expected to be extremely careful and mistake free to ensure the lives of patients are not at risk.

Considering the case where a patient is not correctly and timely diagnosed of a cancer which resulted in death of the patient, it needs to be considered as a case of negligence by the physician as he would have performed the below actions before recommending the tests for the patient -

1. Understand the health issue of the patient

2. Find out the symptoms of the disease

3. Figure out the various possibe diseases, small or serious that might be the reason for the symptoms.

4. Start with smaller reasons or basic tests.

5. Recommend a medication for the patient and keep in observation for a day or two

6. Depending on the medical condition, of it still persists, recommend for the tests for more serious diseases.

7. If the patient tests positive for the disease, provide the treatment as required.