Without competent doctors and medical advances, most people wouldn’t experience the health benefits they have. Yet, have you ever felt that your doctor in Massachusetts didn’t listen to your needs? Did not listening to your concerns lead to serious medical complications? According to a recently released book, a deeply ingrained culture within the medical community may play a role in medical malpractice.
Medicine needs a culture change
A book authored by Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group, notes that the current deeply entrenched medical culture prevents necessary changes in two key problem areas, prevention and improved treatment of chronic disease. The pernicious culture described in “Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors and Patients” could be responsible for acts that eventually lead to medical malpractice. The theory behind this idea is that many in healthcare do not recognize this problem as largely unconscious thoughts and attitudes drive actions in this culture. This dark healthcare underbelly prevents change while publicly acknowledging that prevention and treatment must change.
For example, Pearl indicates that medicine, as a whole, does little to prevent major health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and many types of cancers. In the case of heart diseases and diabetes, as many as 80% of related health problems could be prevented with the right medical advice and preventive treatment.
How negative medical culture manifests
Pernicious medical culture manifests itself in physicians not listening to their patients about mental health concerns and hurriedly going through patient visits. The latter, especially can lead to missed or delayed diagnoses. Failure to diagnose becomes especially harmful when cancer is involved or another disease that threatens a patient’s life. Common failure-to diagnose-scenarios include stroke, heart disease, infections, and spinal tumors. Improper diagnosis can even lead to death.
If you or a loved one have suffered needlessly because of a medical professional’s negligence, you can file a lawsuit. You may even ask for reparations for pain and suffering. You can use money from successful cases to pay for medical and living expenses, physical therapy, and much more.
