Page 93 - 2020年醫學倫理暨人文醫學圖書心得精選集

patient and family—is there fear, disappointment, or anger
regarding an outcome? We should be aware of our own feelings
about the situation and analyze exactly what happened to cause
these feelings. Regret: respond empathetically. We try to tell
our patients we are sorry for what they are going through, in
the meantime, acknowledge their feelings of disappointment,
fear, and anger. Apology does not imply guilt or fault on our
part. Responsibility: own up to what’s happened. We should be
accountable for the problem—even if it was unforeseeable.
Disclose all details that led to the outcome or complication and
explain why it happened. Remedy: make it right. Try our best
to explain to our patients what’s being done to correct the
problem. Evaluate how it will affect our patient’s health and
then begin appropriate therapy. Consider who will bear the cost
of the error or complication—are there any costs we can absorb
? Remain engaged: be there for our patients. Reassure our
patients that we are a team and we will not abandon them.
Keep focusing on and providing for our patients’ continuing
care needs after the outcome or complication.

Patients might not be able to quickly gauge whether a
physician is competent in his or her specialty, but they know
almost immediately whether they are inclined to like him or her.
This is important, because the nature of the doctor-patient
relationship affects the quality of health care, and the initial

2020 年.醫學倫理.人文醫學.心得 80