New research suggests that many doctors don't report fellow physicians for medical errors or even a lack of skills. The study, which appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that 45 percent of 1,662 physicians surveyed didn't always report impaired or unskilled physicians in their practices. At the same time, 46 percent had failed to report a serious medical error to authorities at least once. Despite their comparatively low reporting rate, nearly all of the physicians (93 percent) said that they felt errors should be reported to the appropriate authorities. Meanwhile, 96 percent thought doctors should report on impaired or incompetent peers. This study gives weight to charges that physicians aren't doing a great job of policing themselves, the authors said.
To learn more about the study:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece [1]
Related Articles:
Study: Medical errors stress physicians. Report [2]
Study: Doctors avoid medical error disclosures. Report [3]
Lawmakers want study of physician hours, error rates. Report [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/REG/312030014
[2] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/study-medical-errors-stress-physicians/2007-07-20
[3] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/study-doctors-avoid-medical-error-disclosures/2007-05-11
[4] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/lawmakers-want-study-of-doc-hours-error-rates/2007-04-12