you know, doctors put their pants on one leg at a time. But the patients want a perfect result.
This is NOT about falling short on perfection!
This is about a system where nobody double checks ANYTHING!
As they assume somebody else checked.
I’m 6-1, 180, and workout with 200 lb. benchpress, and yet nearly died twice in hospitals in the last 5 years.
Once from staph infection and the other from a poor post colonoscopy cauterization, nearly bleeding to death.
But the patients want a perfect result.
Are you sure it's always the patient who wants the perfect result? When I was hospitalized for a heart condition, the doctors and the institution ran up a $30,000 bill of work that an insurance lawyer I consulted later analyzed were not required. When I met with the hospital administrator and the primary doctor about the report, they said that they had to do those tests because of malpractice lawsuits families brought when they didn't do ETKTM -- every test known to man.
My father died of a hospital-borne infection. My mother had been a candy-striper at that hospital for years, and knew that the cross-infection rate was low. Our decision not to go after the doctors and hospital were met with skeptical disbelief on their part, so they were not willing to discuss what happened candidly. So the fear of the lawyers and juries affected the doctor/family relationship. Investigation into the root cause? Crickets. I believe that adhering to best medical practice should be as ironclad a defense in reality as the (mistaken) belief that truth is the perfect defense against defamation. I like the idea of video records, "open" charting, and more participation by the patient in his or her care and the decisions thereto. I would also like to see waivers be available so that people wishing to get the BEST care can say "I promise to keep the lawyers out of it if you promise to keep Dr. Death out of it, too."
Report cards? Also an idea worth investigating, although I'd be careful about too much information to the general public -- too few people have the willingness to learn the basics before trying to make decisions. "Sips of knowledge intoxicate the mind, while deeper drinking sobers it again."
Where I think report cards would be the most useful is when doctors can review the candidates when referring patients to specialists. Currently, that's done with "the old boys club";a more fact-based system would be preferable. Just a thought.
Did you read the article?
When imperfect results wind up with you dead you have a pretty solid reason to demand perfection.