Despite the fact that people would like to think that their doctor is invincible and will never make a mistake, medical providers in Louisiana are at risk of human error just like everyone else. As such, it is critical that patients recognize those risks and how to actively mitigate them in order to better protect themselves and their well-being. When patients are educated and equipped with the information, they need to provide support to their doctor, they can feel more confident about their doctor’s ability to provide the highest level of care.
Americannursetoday.com suggests that patients who are empowered and have been educated about their role in protecting their well-being may be able to more effectively protect themselves from the dangers of medical malpractice. One of the most effective ways of educating patients that doctors can participate in is to encourage their patients to communicate with them. They should provide opportunities for open discussion about the patient’s health history, questions about any medications they are taking and whether or not they have any concerns about upcoming treatments.
There are also steps that doctors should be taking to better protect their patients according to Emedcert.com. Some of the things they should be doing include the following:
- Develop a well-rounded plan for communicating information to each other and to staff members to guarantee that a patient is being treated according to their personal needs.
- Engage in follow-up communication that allows them to assess how effectively they were able to treat their patients and to identify areas of improvement for subsequent situations.
- Participate in industry training and be familiar with benchmarking studies that allow them to stay current with developing trends that encourage and support patient safety.
Doctors should also take enough time to step back and put themselves in the position of each of their patients to try to be empathetic with their feelings and concerns. This kind of behavior may help them to provide the most customized level of care for everyone they treat.