January 21, 2020
Doctors and their Mistakes
It used to be said that “Doctors don’t make mistakes, they bury them”. Of course we make mistakes like everyone else because like everyone else we are not Gods but mortals. I made mistakes from time to time, like my colleagues, not often because I practiced care and diligence. Medicine is a stressful profession, needing instant decisions with little information sometimes, when we might be exhausted after a long day with little sleep the night before.
There must be honesty about this, understanding and an acceptance that mistakes sometimes happen. The current system of denial and cover up by managers and practitioners is unfair on doctors and patients alike. It’s not surprising that many doctors are unwilling to work in Maternity or General Practice, where a small mistake can be devastating for patients and their families and end a good doctors career.
The system must change – people should be compensated fairly for inevitable human mistakes, dangerous doctors should not be allowed to practice, but the majority of good and caring doctors must be properly valued and protected.
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