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The tragedy of (unpublished) errors

Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 3, pages 238–239 (2006)Cite this article

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One out of every hundred activities undertaken by medical professionals goes wrong.1 One hundred thousand Americans are killed every year by medical mistakes.2 Internet sites, with names such as 'Wrong Diagnosis' and 'Medical Errors',3,4 online blogs, and television programs feed the public with the notion that medicine can kill. Clinical failures are sensationalized in newspapers and magazines.

Governments,5 medical societies, and individual hospitals enforce the reporting of medical errors. Articles in the medical literature discuss ways to improve the practice of medicine by addressing system failures in constructive ways.6,7 Yet, only one major medical journal devotes space to the self-reporting of errors by physicians.8 Irrespective of the format considered (e.g. case reports, forums, or reviews), the number of medical mistakes adequately discussed in the scientific literature is astonishingly low. Could it be that publishing a public confession from which others could learn is discouragingly difficult? A personal experience persuaded us that it might be so.

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References

  1. Smith R (online August 1998) Medical Mishaps. [http://www.studentbmj.com/back_issues/1098/data/1098r1.htm] (accessed 17 March 2006)

  2. Institute of Medicine Committee of Quality of Health Care in America (1999) To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington DC: National Academy Press

  3. Wrong Diagnosis [http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/index.html]

  4. Medical Errors [http://md-jd.info/errors.htm]

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  10. Silverman J (2004) Practice trends. Punitive measures won't stop medical mistakes. Clin Psychiatry News 32: 93

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Pathology Service,

    Robert M Genta & Francesco Negro

  2. Viropathology Unit, at Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

    Robert M Genta & Francesco Negro

Authors
  1. Robert M Genta
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  2. Francesco Negro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert M Genta.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Cite this article

Genta, R., Negro, F. The tragedy of (unpublished) errors. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 3, 238–239 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep0490

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