Doctor Quote by Danielle Ofri
““But at the most basic level, doctors need to be able to come forward with their errors and near-misses, otherwise we will never know where the problems lay.””
About This Quote
Source Article: Patient Safety Journal, 2019
Medical errors must be reported to identify systemic problems.
In simple terms: Report errors to improve safety.
Key Takeaway
Encourage transparent error reporting.
Themes
patient safety
transparency
learning
Mood
serious
hopeful
Type
advisory
educational
When to use this quote
- hospital meetings
- training workshops
- quality audits
Key Concepts
error reporting
systemic analysis
culture change
Questions to Reflect On
- How can institutions protect reporters?
- What incentives promote openness?
A Different Perspective
Fear of blame can hinder reporting.
![“Fear is a primal emotion in medicine. Every doctor can tell you of times when she or he was terrified; most can list more episodes than you might wish to hear. [...] It may be sublimated at times, it may wax and wane, but the fear of harming your patients never departs; it is inextricably linked…” quote by Danielle Ofri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/541/danielle-ofri-26196_empathy_fear-is-a-primal-emotion-in-medicine-eve_1331595.jpg)
![“Thus, whatever the medical student has been taught, and even genuinely believes, about the ideals of medicine, the primacy of empathy, the value of the doctor-patient relationship--all of this is swamped once he or she steps into the wards. [...] It's no wonder that empathy gets trounced in the…” quote by Danielle Ofri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/549/danielle-ofri-26196_empathy_thus-whatever-the-medical-student-has-be_1851607.jpg)
