Contributor: Nathalie Desbois
Medical errors are an inevitable part of residency training and remain a challenge throughout a physician’s career. These events can have profound psychological and interpersonal consequences for our residents, including sadness, guilt, reduced self-confidence, and strained personal relationships. Despite the high prevalence and emotional impact of such errors, formal education on error management and professional recovery is often lacking in residency training. Barriers to fully disclosing an error include the culture of perfection in medicine, the psychological impact of facing mistakes and apologizing for them, ethical complexities (level of harm done), lack of formal training on disclosing medical error, and fear of malpractice litigation (1). Primary preceptors are in a unique position to guide residents through these experiences by fostering a supportive learning environment, modeling appropriate responses to errors, and facilitating reflective practice. Targeted educational interventions—such as a faculty-led series of three one-hour sessions incorporating personal narratives, guided reflection, small-group discussions, and role-playing exercises—have demonstrated substantial improvements in residents’ confidence in managing medical errors, increasing from 46% pre-intervention to 93% post-intervention (1). The authors hypothesize that intentional integration of this curriculum into daily practice is critical to fostering a growth response among physicians, and effecting better outcomes for patients.
Take-away Tidbits:
1. Medical errors are common and emotionally impactful for residents and practicing physicians, often leading to psychological distress and strained personal relationships.
2.There is a lack of formal training in residency programs on how to manage and recover from medical errors, which contributes to underreporting due to fear of repercussions.
3. Mentorship, particularly from primary preceptors, along with structured educational sessions can significantly improve residents’ confidence in handling medical errors promoting a culture of openness and support.
Resources:
(1)Adkins, S., Reynolds, P., Rabah, K., & Flowers, S. (2024). Medical Error: Using Storytelling and Reflection to Impact Resident Error Response Factors. MedEdPORTAL, 20, 11451.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11325321
(2)Fatima, S., Soria, S., & Esteban-Cruciani, N. (2021). Medical errors during training: how do residents cope?: a descriptive study. BMC Medical Education, 21(1), 408.
https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-021-02850-1