International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine - Volume 11, issue 3

Article Type: Research Article

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 157-160, 1998

Authors: Cohen, David | Jacobs, David

Article Type: Research Article

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 161-164, 1998

Authors: Schuling, J. | Conradi, M.H.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: All physicians, not merely those who are dysfunctional, make mistakes and commit errors. Patients suffer because of such faults, while the doctor is burdened by feelings of guilt and self‐reproach. The taboo regarding errors in medicine however impedes doctors from learning from their mistakes. Adequate management of these situations is of great importance. In order to minimise emotional damage to the patient and his relatives and to improve the quality of medical practice, acknowledgement of having made a mistake comes first: the general practitioner should be aware of personal defence mechanisms such as projection, denial or rationalisation. He should share …his experience with some colleagues; in an atmosphere of trust the emotions of regret, shame and anger can be aired. Next a peer group should assist in analysing the incident step by step. This analysis will make it possible to learn from the error and perhaps to take measures to prevent recurrence. Thereafter management with respect to the patient or his relatives should be established with the help of the group. Important principles are: make an appointment without delay; take ample time and avoid disturbance; listen to the patient and respect his feelings, express regret with regard to the consequences for the patient; contact the patient again after an interval to check if new questions have arisen. This approach is helpful in restoring the patient–doctor relationship after a mistake has been made. Show more

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 165-170, 1998

Authors: Grech, Victor | Savona‐Ventura, Charles

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The risk of having a child with congenital heart disease is far higher than that of the rest of the population if a parent or a previous sibling has congenital heart disease. Malta is a small Island in the Mediterranean with a relatively closed population of approximately 370,000. The aim of this study was to test the null hypothesis that such a small population would produce higher recurrence rates in siblings and parents of patients with congenital heart disease due to a potential concentration of gene(s) which may predispose to these malformations. There were 231 patients diagnosed as having congenital …heart disease born between 1990–1994 from a birth cohort of 26,117 live births. The recurrence rate for siblings was 6%, while 2% had affected parents. These rates are similar to those found for larger populations. Therefore, the population of Malta is not small enough to concentrate any gene or genes which predispose to the development of congenital heart disease and the null hypothesis is accepted. Show more

Keywords: Heart‐defects, congenital, epidemiology, genetics, recurrence

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 171-177, 1998

Article Type: Other

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 179-179, 1998

Article Type: Other

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 181-182, 1998

Article Type: Other

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 183-187, 1998

Article Type: Other

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 189-193, 1998

Article Type: Book Review

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 195-197, 1998

Article Type: Other

Citation: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 199-204, 1998