Physicians Routinely Protect Incompetent Colleagues

[Guest guest]

NaturalNews.com

Originally published July 10 2008

 

Physicians Routinely Protect Incompetent Colleagues; 45 Percent Admit

Failure to Report

by David Gutierrez

 

(NaturalNews) Nearly half of doctors fail to report colleagues who

are impaired or incompetent to the proper authorities, according to a

new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

 

The study's findings were based on survey responses from 1,662

doctors across the United States who were practicing between November

2003 and June 2004. Nearly all doctors surveyed said that physicians

have a responsibility to report impaired or incompetent colleagues

(96 percent), as well as a responsibility to report serious medical

errors that they have observed (93 percent).

 

But many of the doctors surveyed admitted that they did not follow

these practices themselves. When asked whether they had reported

every incident of an incompetent or impaired colleague that they had

observed within the last three years, only 55 percent said yes. When

asked the same question about serious medical errors, 54 percent said

yes.

 

The researchers also analyzed the data by area of specialization,

looking at anesthesiologists, cardiologists, family practitioners

internists, pediatricians and surgeons. Cardiologists were the least

likely to report serious medical errors, and family practitioners the

least likely to report impaired or incompetent colleagues. In the

latter category, cardiologists followed family practitioners by only

0.8 percent.

 

According the Jack Lewin, CEO of the American College of Cardiology,

the numbers may arise from the fact that most cardiologists practice

in groups and are more likely to resolve problems internally, rather

than reporting them. But the study actually found that doctors who

always practiced in groups of three or more were more likely than

other doctors to report problems.

 

Lewin noted that many doctors also fear retribution in the form of

lawsuits if they report colleagues.

 

" We probably need some kind of whistle-blower protection for

doctors, " he said.

 

According to senior author David Blumenthal, there is a silver

lining - doctors already know that they should be reporting problems.

 

" You don't have to convince them about what they ought to be doing, "

he said.

 

 

 

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