Is it Bad to Look Away after Medical Errors, or Not?
This past week marked the 28th anniversary of my brother Jim's death to medical errors. I couldn't help but think how my life has changed over those nearly three decades. There are many family stories about that tragedy burned into my brain, including how the cardiologist who made blown call could only look at his feet and pick at his fingers when confronted by my mother. The doctor could not look mom in the eyes and prematurely broke off the conversation lest he be late for dinner with his family -- while mom's oldest son lay dying on an operating room table.
Last month after the Easter Holiday, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed entitled, "The Case for Looking Away from Suffering," by Professor Benjamin A. Saltzman of the University of Chicago. Professor Saltzman begins his article by describing how many artistic depictions of Christ's crucifixion show Mary, the apostle John, Mary Magadalene, and others casting their eyes away from Jesus' torture and torment. Dr. Saltzman argues that looking away isn't necessarily a sign of indifference but, "such gestures are....given to those buckling under the wretched weight of their surrounding world. They're afflicted by this weight or recognize their responsibility in it or feel some combination of shame, remorse, disgust, or grief."
Shame, remorse, disgust, and grief probably were some or all of the emotions floating through the cardiologist's head, heart, and soul when met with my mother's gaze. And in doing this work over 20+ years I have heard countless stories from families in similar situations of physicians running away, once-cheerful, chatty nurses turning cold, and administrators avoiding the family. No rational human likes to look at suffering and death, especially when he or she may have played a role in said tragedy.
Saltzman argues this behavior is not only natural for humans, but also affords us the opportunity to reflect, think, and ultimately respond -- and hopefully respond in a healthy, emotionally mature manner.
I think this article is significant and important for the disclosure movement. For years, we have been trying to convince physicians and nurses not to look away from patients and families after something goes wrong. Perhaps we were asking too much? Perhaps looking away is the first step to healing, but only if we provide the tools and support to physicians, nurses, and other clinical professionals to move forward after the initial aversion. This was the part missing after my brother's death and so many other countless death and injuries over the decades due to medical errors. Something bad happens, doctors and nurses look away....and then keep looking away to the point of abandoning the family (which causes further harm and heightens the chance of revenge, including litigation, complaints to regulatory authorities, and exposure in the traditional media and social media).
I think Professor Saltzman would agree we are not going to stop the human "reflex" of averting the eyes, looking away, etc, but we must fill the void afterwords and move people forward in a positive, constructive fashion that can lead to reconciliation, learning, and healing. This is what good disclosure programs are all about. The awareness and training that we give our front-line clinical professionals will allow them to eventually return their gaze to patients and families and fulfill their ethical duties.
Sincerely,
- Doug
Doug Wojcieszak, MA, MS, MAT
President, Sorry Works!
618-559-8168