Tara Parker-Pope has an interesting interview with Dr. Gary Brandeland about how doctors deal with medical mistakes. Dr. Brandeland’s obstetrical patient died due to someone else’s error, but Dr. Brandeland still suffered from guilt over it. In addition to the interview with Ms. Parker-Pope, he has an essay describing the incident.
One of Dr. Brandeland’s insightful comments is that mistakes tend to be more systemic than individual: nursing shortages and hospitals cutting back on staff to cut costs are factors that lead to overworked or confused nurses, which in turn lead to medical errors.