NYU Langone Medical Center's Art Caplan, of the division of medical ethics, recently discussed whether medical professionals should report a colleague who makes medical errors in a Medscape report.
Mr. Caplan said yes, medical professionals should report these colleagues because "everyone has a responsibility to make medicine safe, to look out for patient well-being and to try to minimize the possible impact of malpractice and litigation."
He recommends speaking with organization leaders about a colleague who poses permanent risk or danger. Errors that are "just an honest mistake" can be brought up during morbidity and mortality discussions or rounds. Finally, small but chronic issues such as illegible handwriting that lead to errors are worth highlighting so they can be fixed, according to Mr. Caplan.
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