Do doctors protect each other?
According to researchers from Johns Hopkins, medical mistakes are, sadly, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. today. Millions of people each year are victims of preventable medical mistakes, and in many cases, the survivors are left with permanent injuries or disabilities.
When you seek treatment from a doctor or surgeon for a medical issue, you have an expectation that the care and treatment provided will meet or exceed the medical standard of care. The last thing you expect is that an error on the part of your doctor or surgeon will leave you injured or harmed in some way. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
There are steps that you can take to avoid becoming a victim of a medical mistake:
- Do your research when it comes to your treatment options and choice of doctor or hospital
- Ask about your test results
- Get a second opinion
- Take the time to learn all you can about your condition after receiving a diagnosis
Another expectation that patients have is that doctors report colleagues they know are negligent, careless, or incompetent when treating patients to help prevent medical mistakes.
The question is do they? Do doctors protect each other?
Good, honest doctors
Do doctors lie to protect each other? The answer to that question is not a simple one. While there are doctors who have admitted to lying, and under oath, in order to protect a colleague from being found guilty of medical malpractice, many doctors choose to remain silent about errors committed by their peers.
Doctors take an oath to protect and do no harm to patients. They are subject to ethical rules by the AMA and state medical boards that require them to report dangerous and/or incompetent colleagues.
However, a study conducted at Harvard Medical School revealed that one-third of doctors who were aware that a colleague was not fit to practice medicine did not report that matter to a hospital board, let alone to state medical authorities.
Honesty and integrity are two essential characteristics expected of a doctor by a patient. The good news is that, by and large, trustworthy and honest doctors make up the majority of practitioners in today’s healthcare system.
Unfortunately, failing to disclose another doctor’s error undermines the doctor-patient relationship and makes patients wonder if they can truly trust their own doctor.
Are you a victim of medical malpractice?
Doctors protecting each other just leads to more preventable medical mistakes that can have serious, if not catastrophic results for patients.
If you have been injured or harmed due to negligence on the part of a doctor, you may be able to bring a lawsuit for medical malpractice. Contact the office of Scott S. Harris, medical malpractice attorney in San Diego, to schedule a consultation.