Should We Stop Criminalizing Healthcare Workers Who are Simply Doing Their Job?

It’s a topical debate we’re all quite familiar with at the moment, no matter where you live. Innocent workers in the medical industry are being targeted for making every day mistakes. Of course, people’s lives have been at risk during these testing times, but does that give anybody the right to criminalize them? Mistake happen in medicine, whether it’s due to miscommunication, lack of attentiveness, new research and clinical trials or even extreme tiredness. However, the main body to blame is often hospital leadership as they are working with flawed systems. When they are unwilling to take the blame for these errors, the individual in charge of the patient automatically becomes victimized. So what can be done to help this ongoing issue in the medical industry?

Innovative Ideas

When a patient is given an incorrect dosage of medication, the problem can often stem back to the individual who was on duty at the time. Missing paperwork can also be a problem, as well as medication being stored improperly and in an insecure environment. One way to combat the blame game would be Automated Dispensing Cabinets, as this will ensure all medication is handled correctly and carefully. The rights to access are predefined and the exact doses are available when they are needed. This kind of innovative idea might just help hospitals and other medical establishments to handle medicine in an automated way.

The Downfalls

You have to consider the many reasons why things can go wrong in the world of medicine. First of all it’s very important to note that staff are hugely overworked. They can work eighteen hour days without a break or regular days off, so it’s no wonder things can slip through the cracks sometimes. You wouldn’t get into a car and drive if you hadn’t had enough rest, yet hospital bosses allow their patients to be put in the hands of overtired workers.

Protecting Those Who are Innocent

It doesn’t often help when people criminalize medical professionals who are just trying to do their job. The stigma needs to end and the real blame needs to be taken by those who have caused the problems in the long run. Innocent doctors and nurses should have to fear for their careers when a small blunder is made. It’s up to the chiefs to face the facts and take control.

It is true that many hospitals need to radically transform their approach to mistakes in the workplace. Placing blame on individuals who are unable to defend themselves is simply not ethical. The big bosses need to step up and realize that it is their duty of care to make sure all of their workers are comfortable in their working environment. Instead of being scared to carry out their job, they should feel able to speak openly about their working hours, feelings and questions about their day to day issues. When errors occur there should always be full transparency to the family and patient themselves. It seems this isn’t always the case, so hopefully responsibility will be taken soon.