Medical Malpractice In The United States

Medical
Malpractice

According to NCBI, 44,000 to 98,000 patients die each year due to medical malpractice.
The USA needs to decrease this number because it is the third leading cause of
death. Three changes that can be made to reduce the amount of medical mistakes
include bringing in a second party witness, shortening the lengths of shifts, and trying
to prevent barriers between experienced and new doctors.

Bringing in a second opinion is likely to catch misdiagnoses or errors in the medical field. Humans are prone to making mistakes, so a second party's opinion may help reduce the amount of mistakes that can dangerously affect a patient. For example, a patient diagnosed with asthma may actually have

a different deadly disease. However, second opinions are already being put into place. They are not always fully effective, so second opinions with a better understanding of the patient's problems and how to fix incorrect diagnoses would be a positive acquirement. Second opinions can help prevent mistakes and possibly save lives. According to KSWF, in some cases, health professionals do recommend that patients get a second opinion. However, the second opinion could possibly come to the same conclusion as the first doctor, or have a completely different conclusion. Some second opinions may not be as effective, so it is important to try to find a trustworthy source. Medicare states that patients have the right to know treatment choices, have a second opinion, and participate in treatment decisions. Most doctors are likely to allow second opinions, so patients should seriously consider finding an efficient one.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that ICU workers are
limited to working 80 hours a week, but compared to the more common 48 hours of
non-medical workers, that is 32 more hours that medical staff are working. When
humans are sleep deprived, their stress increases, and thought processes
narrow. This can easily cause mistakes with medication, diagnosis, or proper
patient care. The problem for shorter shifts lies in a lack of available
doctors to take shifts. According to NPR, a study of three hospitals found that
87 percent of medical interns are working past their shift limits. Two other
studies found that doctors often lie when they report how many hours they work.
In 2010, more than 110,000 new doctors were being trained in U.S. hospitals.
These added numbers allow for shorter shifts for medical workers. Continuing to
have more medical workers will allow for less sleep deprivation and less medical
mistakes.

NCBI found that in an ICU study, half of ICU staff
reported they find it difficult to discuss mistakes, and when they do, it is
not handled well. One barrier is that some senior staff is refusing input from
newer staff. Medical students graduate each year, so this can pose a problem
when trying to communicate results or get help on what to do. For example, when
a new doctor thinks there is a problem with a senior doctor's diagnosis, the
senior doctor may not want to believe or listen to what they have to say. This
can cause more medical mistakes if staff are not willing to work together to
help their patients. Only a third of the
ICU staff reported that errors are handled appropriately. This problem can be
solved by bringing in a supervisor, or having someone that newer staff can talk
to about problems without being turned down.

Bringing in a second opinion, limiting working hours, and
breaking communication barriers are three possible ways that can help prevent
medical malpractice. Between 210,000 and 440,000 patients suffer from some type
of preventable harm. Allowing these three changes may help lower the number of
those that are harmed in hospitals.