Though "deny-and-defend" has been the longtime motto of many medical professionals, one Minneapolis organization is looking to counter this outlook with the help of peer support groups, according to MinnPost.com.
Laurie Drill-Mellum, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and CMO of Constellation, a collective of medical malpractice insurers. She leads the company's peer assistance service, available to all providers covered by Constellation, which gives emotional support to clinicians who have gone through adverse medical events or are facing patient-led lawsuits.
"Physicians are asked to be perfect in an imperfect world," said Dr, Drill-Mellum, according to MinnPost.com. "There is no way a physician can practice medicine and not be a witness to, a cause of or a part of something going wrong at least once in their career."
Here are five things to know about the group.
1. Dr. Drill-Mellum believes the support service can help keep medical staff mentally healthy. "Unlike a lot of other people whose identities aren't as tied to their profession, a physician's ego is deeply entwined with what they do and with the patients they serve," Dr. Drill-Mellum said. "We are the only profession that is expected to bat 1000 every single day."
2. When Constellation receives a medical error or concerning incident report, a claim consultant connects the clinician with a peer support physician. The team consists of four physicians who are experienced physician leaders, Dr. Drill-Mellum said. "They've been trained in responding to situations where physicians or other clinicians are under stress. They're there to support and normalize the feelings that people are having."
3. When a peer counselor receives the name of a physician who needs support, they reach out by text or email and offer a phone conversation or a personal meeting. Loie Lenarz, MD, former medical director of clinician professional development for Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, serves as a peer counselor.
4. More than half the time, Dr. Lenarz does not receive a response from the physician after making initial contact. "On that very first phone call, one of the things I talk to them about is the support resources they have available," Dr. Lenarz said. "In an open-ended way, I ask them if they feel like they have the support they need in their lives." After making a second contact, Dr. Lenarz said most physicians call back.
5. As opposed to encouraging denials or declining to communicate with patients about medical errors, Constellation's staff works with providers to reach out to patients who have been harmed to provide apologies when appropriate. They also encourage open communication around patients' trauma. "This is radical in malpractice work," Dr. Drill-Mellum said. "We come from a long history in the profession of 'deny-and-defend' medicine. But we no know that is harmful, not only to the patient and the family, but also to the physician."