Free Essay on Medical Error Disclosure

Introduction

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Multiple patients have been victims of a medical error and did not have a chance to learn about it. The physicians find it difficult to discuss issues related to the error, for fear of inciting a lawsuit as a result of malpractice. The reporting of an error is the first step to its’ prevention (Wolf & Hughes, 2008). Once a medical error has occurred the providers feel the guilt and shame, which may motivate them to shift the blame on others or keep silent about it. This situation may compromise the frameworks of ethical operations such as fidelity and beneficence. The legal aspect of error disclosure involves the accountability physicians take on their mistake in practice, that risk patients life (Guillod, 2013). Professional boundaries require doctors to explain risks and other circumstances of a health situation to patients, to allow them the autonomy of choosing from an informed position the path for their treatment (Ghazal, Saleem, & Amlani, 2014). Once the provider denies the patient this opportunity it’s a violation of patient right on error disclosure.

Recommendations for practical and applicable practices for disclosing errors

Errors occur, and providers should be honest in sharing the circumstance to allow a team work input to provide a solution. Healthcare facilities should assure physicians that errors committed while treating a patient should not scare them to be dishonest but share and be careful instead of instilling fear by pushing them to courts. Before a physician is blamed on an error all possibilities that precipitated the situation should be considered to point to the correct reason.

My current and future legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities about the disclosure of errors.

The law expects me to help preserve life it’s what I am doing and in the case of a medical error, I will be ready to answer. I understand and follow all the ethics that guide the providers, and I intend to keep it that way. My professional conduct is based on the ethical considerations which I uphold and intend to continue supporting.

How I see myself working with others in this regard?

When working with others, I understand people are prone to error and so I do not judge others in any circumstance. I encourage others to identify their area of weakness in practice and try to address it since it's the loophole for errors. However, when an error has occurred disclosure is a good step. This way my colleagues and I will help each other in preventing errors by disclosing them.