The Patient and the Anesthesiologist…
Dr. Berwick says that both the patient and the provider in this case were victims. How might Dr. van Pelt be considered a victim? What are the implications of that idea for a hospital that’s trying to respond appropriately to an error?
Kathy Duncan says that when you’re meeting with a patient who’s suffered from an error, you should sit down and avoid bringing a group of administrators along. What are other steps you might take to avoid intimidating the patient?
Kathy Duncan identifies several important steps in the disclosure of an error: being truthful, apologizing, and promising to investigate so the error doesn’t happen again. What are other steps that providers and/or hospitals can take to help all the parties involved in an error?
