We all screw up. Me. You. Doctors and nurses. Mistakes happen. But the damage spreads like spilled acid when those who make mistakes don't learn from them. Or, worse, when they act as if nothing happened or even lie to cover up their error or incompetence. Being a patient is an act of trust; eat away at that trust, and patients who need care may begin to hesitate to ask for it.
Three new videos posted at Health Care for All, a Massachusetts nonprofit trying to improve the quality of and access to healthcare, are reminders of our vulnerabilities, whether we're patients or caregivers.
U.S. News's Avery Comarow has been editor of the America's Best Hospitals annual rankings since they first appeared in 1990. His reporting on clinical medicine, from the latest cholesterol guidelines to robotic surgery, has been driven by the question: What does this mean to patients? And that is the perspective he brings to his observations and commentaries on the increasing number of programs by hospitals and other healthcare providers to improve care and patient safety.
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