Ethical Implications of Disclosure and Non-Disclosure of Medical Error

Error Disclosure
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Introduction
The notion that to err is human has been often used to explain the predisposition of human beings to making mistakes, be it in their professional endeavors, or back home. People, in all professions, are fallible. There are however, other professions where the extent of error can be the definitive factor between life and death, success and catastrophe. This is especially so in the medical field. As much as humans are to error, making mistakes in this field shouldn’t be an issue to be encouraged or handled lightly. Disclosure of these errors is also another issue that entails ethical undertones. This paper addresses the ethical and legal aspects of error disclosure and nondisclosure in the medical context.
Ethical Implications of Disclosure and Non-Disclosure of Medical Error
Human beings are prone to making mistakes, and medical practitioners are not an exception. This factor, therefore, implies that complete eradication of medical errors is inevitable. However, it is also convincible to argue that with proper measures put in place, occurrences of medical errors cannot only be minimized but the harmful effects of the errors to patients can also be reduced. Also, studies have also suggested that by reporting of medical errors, fidelity and trust between the patient and doctor grows. This is, therefore, the reason why medical facilities and practitioners have a moral and ethical obligation to report medical errors.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case with most professionals, who have shunned the responsibility of reporting medical errors for fear of being blamed or exposed to litigation battles against their patients (Bonney, 2014). Therefore, to prevent such occurrences from happening, various States in the US have enacted their different laws that encourage medical facilities and practitioners to report cases of medical errors.
Texas Medical Error Reporting Program
In Texas State, for example, a law that was enacted in 2003 requires ordinary hospitals, mental hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers to report adverse events to the Department of State Health System (DSHS). This rule requires health facilities to conduct a cause analysis before developing an action plan of the error (QuPS.org, 2010). The cause analysis is aimed at determining the element that might have led to the occurrence of a medical error to establish corrective measures that will help n preventing such an error from occurring...