OPINIONPatient safety: Separating misinformation from truthAMA Leader Commentary. By Donald J. Palmisano, MD, Dec. 15, 2003. A message to all physicians from AMA President Donald J. Palmisano, MD. The poet Emily Dickinson wrote that "Truth is such a rare thing, that it is delightful to tell it." When it comes to the issue of patient safety, in this age of unfettered litigation, it is also necessary and important to tell the truth -- because so often it is obscured by myth, misrepresentation and misinformation -- and because lives are at stake. One myth put forth by trial lawyers is that their pursuit of medical liability lawsuits isn't a safari for cold, hard cash but is meant to reduce physician errors. They argue that litigation must be used as a big stick to keep the world safer. To justify their tactics, they cite a report from the Institute of Medicine that included flawed, outside data blaming medical errors for 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year. The AMA long has been a champion for patient safety, and we believe that even one preventable error that harms a patient is one too many. But we take issue with the estimates contained in the IOM report -- and how these estimates have been misinterpreted and misrepresented. So do other prominent independent researchers, who also have disputed these estimates. For example, critics have noted that the estimates were extrapolated from data collected years ago from just a few hospitals. Others have pointed out flaws in the methodology. It's worth noting that the IOM does make one fact clear -- medical errors aren't about "bad doctors," despite our opponents' claims. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2003 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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The doctors are in the house
The AMA's House of Delegates is holding its Interim Meeting Nov. 7-10 in Houston, addressing issues such as health system reform and physician payment. Meeting coverage - Slideshow Feature articlesHealth reform review The Massachusetts experience Litigation stress Being sued is personal as well as professional Comprehensive coverage
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