September 15, 2006
NY Times Editorial “When Doctors Hide Medical Errors”
In New York times editorial from Sept. 9, 2006, the issue of doctor error is brought to light. Doctors admitting what we patients have known for years; doctors make mistakes and are reluctant to admit their errors or take responsibility for them.
Excerpt:
The doctors talked a good game — fully 98 percent endorsed the need to disclose serious errors to patients, according to survey results published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. But most had something less than full disclosure in mind. Only 42 percent would actually use the word “error,” while 56 percent would mention the adverse event but not the error, relegating the harm to the “stuff happens” category. Only 33 percent would explicitly apologize for their mistake.Many believe that the recent movement for tort reform, putting a ceiling on medical malpractice suits, would encourage more doctors to come forward and admit their mistakes.
The New York Times editorial offers the suggestions of more education to encourage disclosure and computerized systems to detect error.
To read full article visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/09/opinion/09sat4.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
September 7, 2006
Boy, 10, Awarded $5.3m Over Cerebral Palsy
This from Australia’s Courier Mail: A ten year-old boy left with cerebral palsy after a Queensland public hospital bungled his birth has been awarded $5.3 million in compensation, the state’s largest ever personal injury payout.
Christopher Hills, who is confined to a wheelchair and will be totally dependent on others for the rest of his life, was brought into Supreme Court Justice Phil McMurdo’s Brisbane courtroom yesterday afternoon to hear the announcement.
To read full article: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20353500-421,00.html
Study Finds Most Cerebral Palsy Predates Labor
A new report from an article in the New York Times today reported on study that shows less than 10% of cerebral palsy cases were caused by asphxasia. There was a news conference in Albany outlining their findings.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) convened a Task Force on Neonatal Encephalopathy and Cerebral Palsy to collate and review the best scientific data available on the topic and to publish these findings.
A report issued today by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concludes that the majority of newborn brain injury cases do not occur during labor and delivery. Rather, most instances of neonatal encephalopathy and cerebral palsy are attributable to events occurring before labor begins.
The report indicates that most cases of cerebral palsy were caused not by brain injuries during labour and delivery, but other factors occurring during the pregnancy. The study concludes that it is maternal infection.
