Researchers at the esteemed Johns Hopkins Medicine discovered that over a quarter of a million deaths per year are caused by medical mistakes, making them the number three cause of death here in the United States.
With that many medical mistakes occurring, does it make sense for the medical providers making those mistakes to apologize for them to their patients or their survivors?
Apologies are a double-edged sword
It seems like a no-brainer, to apologize for any role you may have had in a poor patient outcome. And some health care institutions encourage practitioners to honestly and openly admit to any errors or omissions they cause.
But in some circumstances, with certain patients and survivors, apologizing can appear as if the door has opened to a successful litigation claim.
Laws offer some protection for apologies
While they don’t offer blanket protection for the mistakes health care providers make, sincere, heartfelt apologies sometimes can go a long way toward calming the waters after medical errors occur.
Words have weight and do matter, so don’t just go off on a tangent with a patient or their loved ones after a procedure doesn’t go as planned. Instead, weigh your words carefully. It’s also a good idea to first loop in your legal counsel before deciding to apologize for your actions.
There is no right or wrong answer to apologizing
You certainly don’t want to toss fuel onto a fire that can blow up into a major malpractice case against you. But if well-timed and honest words from your heart could defuse a powder-keg situation, it could be quite helpful. Making the right decision now can help you protect yourself in the future.
