Overworked Doctors Compromise Patient Safety

With the focus on reducing infections, surgical errors and other medical mistakes, hospitals are not paying enough attention to doctors who report being overburdened and stressed by their workloads. As a result, these doctors find themselves unable to pay enough attention to patients, possibly compromising patient safety.

A recent survey of 500 doctors in hospitals found that 40 percent said they take on more patients than they can handle at least once a month. Approximately 25 percent of the doctors said that they were so overworked that they found it difficult to discuss treatment options with patients. Many doctors delayed diagnoses or ordered unnecessary lab tests because they had no time to talk to patients properly about their symptoms.

As many as 10 percent of the doctors admitted that their failure to pay attention to patients may have compromised the patients’ safety. Comprised patient safety could even lead to patient death.

There are complicated reasons doctors feel pressured to take on more patients. New health care reform laws have, in some cases, translated into a reduction in physician earnings as hospitals have begun tying compensation to performance. Doctors may be tempted to raise their earnings by taking on more patients than they can handle.

Obviously, the findings of the study are very worrying to Seattle medical malpractice lawyers, who believe that hospitals should reevaluate doctors’ work schedules. More research is needed, but hospitals and health facilities must strategize the best ways to alleviate the strain on doctors.

The Seattle medical malpractice attorneys at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical personnel.