Medical Malpractice in New York a Factor in Doctor Deceit

Medical malpractice in New York may be covered up by doctors who do not tell the truth about medical mistakes.

New research indicates that more than 1 out of every 10 doctors admitted to lying to either their patient or their patient's guardian within the previous 12 months. Another 20 percent said they didn't fully disclose when a mistake was made, because they feared being sued.

Our New York City medical malpractice lawyers aren't shocked by this news, but feel people need to be made aware of the dishonesty that is sometimes prevalent within the medical community.

In fact, researchers with Harvard Medical School found that nearly 35 percent of doctors didn't even believe they should have to disclose all of their "significant" medical errors to their patients. Instead, many doctors responded that they only somewhat agreed or disagreed, when asked about this in a survey.

As researchers pointed out, these findings raise major concerns that patients aren't getting the full picture from their doctors. Of course, the medical establishment likes to blame lawsuits. The truth is much more unsettling: By the medical community's own estimates, nearly 100,000 people a year are killed by preventable medical error -- or more than three times the number of people who die in traffic accidents nationwide.

We believe patients should have the right to make informed decisions. When doctors choose to withhold important information from their patients - or worse, deceive them, not only does it open the door for a malpractice suit, it erodes the trust people place in their physicians. This can adversely affect a person's health in the long-term.

One medical ethicist was quoted by MSNBC as saying that for a doctor to withhold a mistake from a patient is "inexcusable."

A separate poll conducted by msnbc.com indicated that out of 100 doctors who were asked whether they had ever withheld information about a serious mistake from a patient, 21 percent said they had.

The Harvard study analyzed responses from nearly 2,000 doctors, ranging from neurosurgeons to general practitioners. Also interesting in this study was the response doctors gave about whether there is ever an instance in which a doctor should give a patient false information. While most doctors agreed that would be unacceptable, 17 percent didn't completely agree.

What does all this say about the medical profession as a whole?

That it's not perfect. That mistakes happen. When mistakes happen, you need a lawyer who is experienced in this type of law to fight for you and help you get the compensation you deserve. You can't count on your doctor to admit that mistakes were made.