If you are like most people in Washington State, you want to believe that those you look to for health care for yourself or a family member will always have the patient’s and family’s best interest at heart. In most cases, this is likely true but there are times when it may not be the case. A lack of putting the patient first may be evidenced in a number of ways and one of these is not just about making a mistake.
Becker’s Hospital Review indicates that one problem highlighted in a study published last year involves the lack of reporting of medical errors. The study was conducted at four different children’s hospitals around the country for a period of roughly eight months. It looked at both mistakes that were made and any adverse events that may have resulted and that were reported by families of the pediatric patients.
All in all, nearly one fourth of all adverse events and almost one half of the medical errors that children’s relatives reported were not included in any report by the associated hospital. Also seen in the study’s results was an increase in hospital reporting of errors by as much as 16 percent when a family report was made. These facts point to a disturbing thought regarding transparency by health care workers.
If you would like to learn more about identifying, reporting and obtaining assistance with a medical error, please feel free to visit the patient safety and adverse events page of our Washington State medical malpractice website.