An ethical response to medical errors

Abstract

Medical errors form a significant part of public health concerns because they pose a serious threat on the safety of the patient which furthermore have consequences on the healthcare system in general. Although the healthcare system is led by humans and humans are fallible it is also their responsibility to come up with solutions and find ways to improve the system and to prevent further medical errors. The healthcare system must first recognise the factors that are contributing the errors then the incidents should be criticized to find a solution to reduce them. Healthcare professionals and management have the obligation to work together to reduce errors, towards a culture of safety. Disclosure of medical error is a crucial aspect that carries with it obligations, ethical and moral dilemmas. It gives the victim the opportunity to make autonomous decisions about their care besides helping the victim regain trust in the healthcare system. It is also an ethical duty of the healthcare professional but legal liability, lack of training in how to disclose an error and loss of reputation all have been cited as reasons why healthcare professionals fail to disclose errors to their patients. However, these reasons do not justify non-disclosure of errors to patients. The wellbeing of the second victim, the healthcare professional, also plays an important role in the safety of the patient. Thus the healthcare worker needs psychologically support and legal protection to deal better with the error and to be able to give a better disclosure. Knowledge is also an important tool in achieving patient safety and aims in keeping the care worker efficient in his line of work. The moral and ethical issues behind medical errors that the healthcare system, the professional, the victim and their family have to have to respect are categorized around the four ethical principles of autonomy and the right for information; nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice.