Can Being Nice Save Malpractice?
Can you put a dollar value on being nice? In essence that is the question posed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals in their “sentinel event alert” which warns hospital personnel against “all contumelious and sarcastic remarks”. Bad behavior amongst doctors and nurses towards their patients is causing quite a stir, and some claim that it is even the reason behind some medical malpractice suits. The Joint Commission has set out to create a code of conduct which will require medical facilities to adhere to certain mandates.
Last week the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals issued a “sentinel event alert,” which warned that “rude language and hostile behavior among health care professionals goes beyond being unpleasant and poses a serious threat to patient safety and the overall quality of care.” By January 1, 2009, the 15,000 hospitals, nursing homes, and other health agencies monitored by the Joint Commission will be required “to create a code of conduct that defines acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and to establish a formal process for managing unacceptable behavior.”
The American Hospital Association and Health Networks recently published an article entitled “Patient Safety in the Operating Room: The right culture can result in the right outcomes and help avoid costly litigation” and the New York Times also reported on the issue saying “Doctors Say ‘I’m Sorry’ Before ‘See You in Court’”.
But is just “playing nice” enough? Or are their deeper flaws in the medical system that cause some malpractice issues to arise?
