Clinical Oncology and Error Reduction

Antonella Surbone, MD PhD FACP, is a medical oncologist, Adjunct Professor of Medicine at New York University, where she serves as Ethics Editor of NYU Clinical Correlations. Dr. Surbone is on the Faculty on MD Anderson I*Care Program, and Lecturer in moral philosophy and medical ethics at the Universities of Bologna, Rome, Turin and Verona, Italy, and various European universities. She has published in the fields of medical oncology and bioethics, with special focus on truth-telling, cultural competence, ethical implications of genetic testing for cancer predisposition, and medical errors.Michael Rowe, PhD, a medical sociologist, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Rowe conducts research and writes in the areas of medical humanities and bioethics, narrative medicine and medical errors, and community mental health. He is the author of several books including The Book of Jesse: A Story of Youth, Illness, and Medicine; Crossing the Border: Encounters Between Homeless People and Outreach Workers; Transforming mental health care: A practical guide to recovery-oriented practice, and Classics of Community Psychiatry; and Citizenship and Mental Health.

• List of contributors viiForeword ixPreface xiiiAcknowledgment xv1 Introduction to oncology and medical errors 1Antonella Surbone and Michael RowePart I Medical errors and oncology: background and context2 Recognizing and facing medical errors: the perspective of a physician who is also the patient 17Itzhak Brook3 Psychological and existential consequences of medical error for oncology professionals 29Mary J. Chalino, Evelyn Y.T. Wong, Bradley L. Collins, and Richard T. Penson4 To sue or not to sue: restoring trust in patient–doctor–family relationships 51Michael Rowe and Antonella SurbonePart II Improving patient safety in clinical oncology practice5 Prevention of errors and patient safety: oncology nurses’ perspectives 67Martha Polovich6 Prevention of errors and patient safety from the oncologist’s perspective 87Meghan E. C. Shea, Nie Bohlen, and Inga T. Lennes7 Disclosing harmful medical errors 101Walter F. Baile and Daniel Epner8 Do cross-cultural differences influence the occurrence and disclosure of medical errors in oncology? 111Lidia Schapira, Joseph R. Betancourt, and Alexander R. GreenPart III Cancer patients, oncology professionals, and institutions against medical errors9 Prevention of errors and patient safety: institutional perspectives 127Eric Manheimer10 Professional and ethical responsibilities in adverse events and medical errors: discussions when things go wrong 145Patrick Forde and Albert W. Wu11 Medical error and patient advocacy 158Juanne N. Clarke, PhD12 Conclusion: the “given” and “therefores” of clinical oncology and medical errors 172Antonella Surbone and Michael RoweIndex 181