Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Should medical errors be withheld from the patient?

Medical errors will forever continue as long as healthcare providers are still human. Once a medical error has they occured, what should be the attitude of the medical profession? Should it be to withhold such information from patients? since ‘what they don't know can't hurt them’ or should such information be honestly disclosed to patients and the appropriate measures taken to redress and prevent any such errors in future? I feel as though it depends on the seriousness of the medical error. If the medical error has caused the patient any harm or a financial deficit due to a longer hospital stay, then i say tell them. I as the patient should know the reasoning behind any misfortune that may have occured while being treated.It isn't fair to keep me in the dark about anything that is negatively affecting me.On the other hand if a medical error has occured and nothing has been negatively affected by it then i say "don't tell me".Only thing that will occur by informing me of the error is angry and worry that could result in a number of consequences for the hospital.

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