Healthcare providers and patients think physicians should assume responsibility when failing to follow proper protocol, indicating a shift in the "no-blame" hospital culture that leans toward system improvements rather than assigning blame for individual errors, according to research published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Researchers administered a survey to attending physicians, resident physicians, nurses, inpatients and medical students at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center and UCSF Department of Medicine on adequate penalties for physician lapses in basic safety protocol.
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The survey showed most respondents favored individual penalties, such as firing, fees or suspension, over public reporting of the transgression, suggesting physicians should be directly held accountable for such lapses.
The authors suggest more studies are necessary to determine how to implement both penalties and public reporting to maximize patient safety.
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