Why Doctors Make Mistakes
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Jonathan Jones
Lucian Leape
Eric Myers
Robert F. Simon
Perry Barwick
Steve Bowden
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Documentary about medical mistakes. Medical experts, including doctors, describe how easy it is to inject the wrong drug, overlook a faulty machine or even operate on the wrong patient. Whistleblowers and "risk managers" explain how they're working from the inside to fix these problems. "First Do No Harm" examines the nature and extent of medical error. It reveals a U.S. error rate of nearly 4% or 180,000 deaths each year. Professor Lucian Leape, a former surgeon and author of a major report on medical error, discusses the implications of these findings. "The Usual Suspects" reveals that when mistakes are made in the medical community, there are several common culprits -- confusing drug packaging, pharmacy problems and hectic emergency rooms receive the most complaints. Investigation rarely goes beyond scapegoats. "Breaking the Code of Silence" shows how easily errors can occur and reveals the pressure medical professionals feel to cover up errors, which has prevented any real systematic changes. "Beyond Blame" shows how medical personnel are learning to spot and prevent potential errors, and how the medical profession is learning from risk-reduction practices in other professions.
