Doctors may make mistakes that are less obvious than lawyers' mistakes

BMJ 1995;310:1671 (24 June)

Letters

Doctors may make mistakes that are less obvious than lawyers' mistakes

EDITOR,--The sentiments expressed by Jean Ritchie and SallyDavies are laudable but raise two important matters which werenot addressed by the authors.¹

The authors refer to "mistakes" and to care which has "gonewrong" as though these were invariably self evident. A lawyer'smissed deadline for issuing a writ or a motorist's dented vehiclemay easily be recognised as evidence of mistake. It will readilybe conceded that amputation of the wrong limb or a gross overdoseof a medicine through a misplaced decimal point are, similarly,easily recognisable mistakes. However, most allegations of medicalnegligence arise from therapeutic interventions or omissionswhich are not self evidently mistakes or evidence of care havinggone wrong. Those whose professional judgments are to be calledinto question may be forgiven for failing to recognise as mistakesor evidence of care having gone wrong acts and omissions which,though criticised by some, . . . [Full text of this article]