Medical error from the perspective of Brazilian physicians: A description based in their practices

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Vitor S Mendonca

University of Sao Paulo Institute of Psychology, Brazil

: J Nurs Patient Care

Abstract

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Medical errors occur frequently in the Brazilian healthcare system, so identifying better options for handling this issue has become of interest primarily for physicians. The medical profession is viewed as being error-free, so healthcare professionals who commit an error are condemned there. This study explored how physicians understand the medical error in the practice of Brazilian Medicine. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Brazilian physicians who had not experienced medical errors. Findings suggested the medical profession in Brazil is more socially charged than other professions so that errors do not occur. Physicians prefer not to speak or deny the occurrence because they have no information about how to proceed or fear the future. They agree that a process of reflection, learning and maturation is important to avoid new errors. Constant training, knowing exactly which procedure you will perform and conducting a checklist are important aspects for a good professional performance. Many Brazilian medical schools have still focused on technicality during graduation, which favors a position of non-acceptance of error. In Brazil the practice of disclosure is difficult to perform and there are no standards by that, which is the opposite of what happens in the US. American healthcare institutions aim to communicate a sincere desire to learn about physicians’ experiences, especially when things go wrong. Adopting such practices in Brazil could be useful in helping to understand the consequences of medical error. If these experiences were less taboo in Brazil, physicians and healthcare systems could respond to error more effectively.

Biography

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Vitor S Mendonca has completed his PhD at the age of 31 from University of Sao Paulo/Brazil and postdoctoral studies from University of Washington School of Medicine/US. He is the researcher assistant at the University of Sao Paulo. He has published more than 12 papers. He participated as a judge on a graduate thesis defense panel and as an advisor for graduate thesis.

E-mail: vitor.mendonca@usp.br