Better doctors focus on mistakes
The Atlantic, December 19, 2011
Everybody makes mistakes. But far too few people take the opportunity to learn from them. We'd all be better people if we did. And for doctors, acknowledging errors could mean the difference between a patient's life or death. In a study where doctors were faced with a simulated medical emergency and had to choose from uncertain treatment options, a scenario requiring a certain amount of trial and error, doctors who paid more attention to their mistakes fared much better than those who focused on their treatment successes.
Most Viewed
Most Emailed
- Urologists 'Outraged' Over PSA Test Challenge
- New Facebook Page Gathers Stories of Medical Harm
- Luxury Hospital Facilities Put Patient Experience First
- Five Hospitals Share Three Secrets to Improve Knee Surgery Outcomes
- Heartland Health Joins Mayo Clinic Network
- Beleaguered Fairview Health CEO to Retire in July
- Health Insurance Exchanges Put Defined Benefits to the Test
- Challenging Physicians to Help Improve the ED
- For hospitals and insurers, new fervor to cut costs
- The Power of Plugged-In Physicians

