Medical Errors Take a Toll on Doctors
Did you ever wonder if the doctor you see has experienced stress brought on by the circumstances of his or her profession? If so, you might be interested in what 3,100 physicians in the US and Canada had to say regarding stress and life changes following a medical error situation that they had a hand in.
According to the study, many physicians experience significant emotional distress and jobrelated stress following medical errors and “near misses.” The study is published in the August issue of The Joint Commission on Quality and Patient Safety. The findings point to a greater need to provide help and support to doctors following an error.
“The Emotional Impact of Medical Errors on Practicing Physicians in the United States and Canada” is the first large study of its kind to demonstrate the negative effects of medical errors on physicians. Ninety-two percent of the surveyed doctors indicated they had been involved with a major medical error, a minor error or a “near miss” situation.
Approximately one-half of the physicians surveyed reported that their involvement in medical errors increased their job-related stress. One-third of the group who were involved only with a “near miss” also reported that their lives were negatively affected, indicating that physician distress is not limited only to the occurrence of serious errors. It was noted, however, that the greater the severity o f the error, the more likely it was that the physician would be affected.
Here are some of the additional notable results of the findings:
- 61% of doctors reported increased anxiety about future errors. 44% experienced a loss of selfconfidence. 42% reported sleeping difficulties. 42% had reduced job satisfaction. 13% feared harm to their reputation.
- Physicians were more likely to be distressed after serious errors when they were dissatisfied with how the error disclosure meetings went with their patient. Only 18% had received any training in handling error disclosure and 86% were interested in more education.
- Although more than 80% of physicians expressed interest in counseling after serious errors, many indicated that a variety of barriers might prevent them from seeking it out.
- 43% said taking time away from work for counseling would be difficult. 35% did not think counseling would be helpful. 35% were concerned that counseling would not be kept confidential and would be placed in their permanent records. 23% were concerned that receiving counseling could affect their malpractice insurance. 18% feared they would be negatively judged by their peers for receiving counseling.