PA law requiring medical error notification gets mixed reviews
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
April 27, 2005
Three years after Pennsylvania required hospitals to notify patients of medical errors, it's unclear whether hospitals are fully complying, according to a report in The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, PA.Hospitals claim that they have been following the law's intent and that it has helped reduce the number of medical malpractice suits filed. During face-to-face discussions, patients are pleased to receive an apology and demand to know what a hospital will do to prevent the incident from happening again. The law also requires written notification to patients.
Personal injury lawyers, meanwhile, say the state's hospitals still underreport medical errors, according to The Patriot-News.
Medical facilities also objected to the term "medical error," saying it implied wrong-doing when some events, like a patient fall, are sometimes out of the staff's control.
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