Doctors Refuse to Report Medical Malpractice

Brooks Schuelke

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A recent study finds that nearly half of US Doctors fail to report medical malpractice or unethical behavior, even though most agree that such conduct should be reported.

From the article:

Up to 96 percent of those surveyed said they should report all instances of significant incompetence or medical errors to the hospital clinic or to authorities. The exception was among cardiologists and surgeons, with just about 45 percent agreeing.

And 85 percent of most doctors said they should tell patients or relatives about significant errors.But this did not translate into practice. Forty percent of the doctors said they knew of a serious medical error in their hospital group or practice but 31 percent admitted they had done nothing about it at least once.

There are a lot of things to potentially discuss regarding this study, but the one that strikes me as most odd is subtle. I'm struck by the fact that up to 96 percent of those surveyed said they should report medical errors, but only 45 percent of cardiologists and surgeons feel the same way. Why is there such a distinct difference?

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.