Survey: Nearly half of doctors don't report medical mistakes

According to a new survey, "nearly half of all U.S. doctors fail to report incompetent or unethical colleagues, even though they agree that such mistakes should be reported." (Source: "Half of U.S. doctors mum about incompetence: survey," Reuters, Dec. 3, 2007.)  Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the survey, found that while nearly all physicians said they should report all serious medical errors they observe, "46% of physicians surveyed admitted they knew of a serious medical error that had been made but did not tell authorities about it."

Dr. David Blumenthal, senior author on the paper, said that while nothing excuses a physician for failing to report serious medical mistakes, the system for reporting problems is often stacked against the whistle-blower. Doctors who report problems may be sued, punished with a loss of referrals, and ostracized both personally and professionally. (Source: "How Professional Is Your Doctor?" NY Times, Dec. 3, 2007.)

The survey, published today in the The Annals of Internal Medicine, also found that doctors often order expensive tests such as magnetic resonance imaging even when such tests are unneccesary. In addition, while 93% of doctors said they should provide care regardless of a patient's ability to pay, only 69% actually accept uninsured patients who cannot pay. And while most doctors agree they need to keep up with changes in the profession and have their competence reviewed, only 31% have undergone a competency review in the past three years.