Reaction

If outsiders had to describe mistakes in medicine, they might use words like reckless, thinking of the seemingly endless stories of poor patients who suffered. Or, if they read the local newspaper, they could call it unacceptable, with a nod to the call for disciplinary action. Who could possibly object?

Actually, lots of people. After a recent headline story highlighting our loss of a patient's life in the hospital, there are some, of course, who seriously blame a doctor who prescribed too low a dose of anticoagulant drug supposed to prevent the dangerous blood clots that can travel to the brain, causing stroke. That is, broadly, the usual reaction from the mass media. But one important fact is left out of the scene – and that is the image of doctors. When people are being asked to say which professionals deserve the most respect, they usually put doctors at the very top of the list, way above clergymen and lawyers.

We agree that doctors are no longer free to practice away from the cruel scrutiny of the news media, not to mention the constant erosion of the trust in doctors. Admittedly, their biased emphasis can make it look like a nefarious crime scene, accusing doctors of having "committed the worst blunders, if not murder." I know, I know, that's disheartening. But let's think about how our patients – not the mass media – react. They are forgiving, if you ask me. In a way, we're fortunate to work with the growing realization that doctors are fallible. And that's why doctors are more open to our own mistakes. I'm one of them.

I will never forget the forgiving look on the face of my kidney transplant patient who nearly died because of my mistake. It all started with my prescribing him allopurinol, a pill supposed to work for his repeated attacks of gout. But I forgot the precarious drug interaction between allopurinol and another medication that he had been taking after the transplant. Because of that, the work of his bone marrow came to a halt and the number of his white blood cells dwindled to a dangerous level. This was only picked up by my colleague few months later. My patient was simply told that he wasn't tolerating the medication; there was no mention of medical mishap. My first instinct, after hearing what had happened, was not to sweep the mistake under the rug. I called back my poor patient and told him everything, I mean, my careless mistake. This may seem impossibility, but it is true, and he accepted my apology. He reminds us how far we've come and how lucky we are.