I was asked for an update on my story Malpractice Makes Perfect, where I went into some of the details surrounding my run-in with malpractice, being on the receiving end of a medical error.
I shared my story, also published on the syndicated website KevinMD.com on March 31, 2017, for several reasons.
One- I wanted to humanize the face of physicians. That’s one of the purposes of my website as a whole. Physicians are humans, too, and sometimes patients forget this. I am a doctor inside of the office, but outside, I am ‘Mooooom’ (scream it out the way it’s often said in my home) and ‘Don’ to my husband when he calls me by my nickname and I’ve also myself been a patient.
Two- I wanted to point out what was important for me, as a lesson, in my own case of negligence. To help teach all of us. I bring the lesson taught into my own medical practice every day. That lesson is to admit when you’re wrong and acknowledge it. It also means working with the patient who was wronged to make things better.
Did you sue?
This was the main question I received from readers after they read my story.
No, I didn’t.
Why not?
Simply because it just didn’t make sense. We are all humans and we all make mistakes. My OB’s mistake was unintentional. It was negligent, yes, but not done on purpose. She simply forgot, or had a system in place that didn’t work well.
After my case happened, I heard from a friend who was in that specific program that she actually changed the practice to enforce more stringent follow up on appropriate injection administration.
Hooray!
The fact that I serve as a lesson to others like me is fantastic and I hope that those of you who are Rh negative and considering a pregnancy remember this case and make sure that you are given the Rho Gam injection, at the right time.