My adorable dog, May, has her flaws. Her bark and temper are infamous in our neighborhood. If the toy is not made of rubber, it will become an unrecognizable ball of mush within days. However, when it comes to going out to do her business, May almost never has accidents. On those rare occasions she has does have an accident, she hides under the dining room table instead of running to greet us when we arrive home.
We understand why these accidents happen. Analogous to most medical errors, May's accident is a systems error. These accidents only occur when we leave the house for a long period of time without allowing her to go out before we leave. May was not being negligent or purposefully filthy; the system she lives in simply does not allow her to successfully avoid these accidents...
...Medical malpractice is one of the few bipartisan goals of the current health reform battle. However, how to reform this messy process that is hard on all participants (physicians, hospitals, patients and families, and insurers) emotionally and financially is not as clear. Focusing on how to minimize costly lawsuits through caps on financial damages awarded to patients further complicates the fundamental courtesies that should occur when a mistake happens: acknowledgement, understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness...
Click here to read the full post on the IHI Open School Blog.
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