Medical Mistakes: Doctors Should Learn To Own Up

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People have a misconception about doctors. They believe that doctors are know-it-alls and that they are incapable of making mistakes. The people who believe that are, unfortunately, misguided by a doctor’s title. The sad truth is that mistakes are a part of doctors’ daily lives. Critical care physician and anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Peter Pronovost, says that if all the deaths caused by doctor errors were added up, it would be “the third leading cause of death” (Bonifield). Consequently, people argue whether doctors should be punished for their mistakes or whether they should be given immunity to lawsuits and other possible consequences. Doctors should not be punished for their mistakes, unless there is clear, purposeful negligence shown because if they are punished, they will not be able to learn from their mistake. Some people believe that doctors should be held responsible for their actions, even if that includes a minor mistake. Doctors are, after all, dealing with other lives, not just a toy they have the luxury to practice on. In “Medical Mistakes- Doctors Should Learn to Own Up” by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, she presents the case of …show more content…

Howard Cohen, a doctor with 30 years of experience, had two of his patients’ files mixed up and told a healthy lady that she had a serious illness. Dr. Cohen was a highly respected doctor, yet managed to scare one of his patients, who noticed that the birthdate on her file was wrong, and helped prevent a situation that could have worsened. Dr. Cohen gave his sincere apology for his mistake that the patient accepted. In a case like this, if the patient had not accepted his apology and she decided to take legal action, should he be held liable? No. Dr. Cohen never purposefully mixed up the patient’s file. The patient’s life was never in any real danger because of his mistake.

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