

Earlier in my life, before I started my training to become a physician, before I even knew I wanted to be a doctor, back when I still considered pursuing a graduate degree in history, I viewed hospitals in the same way the average American does – an extremely safe place. Yes, many individuals may spend their last days in a hospital, but they are receiving the best care possible. Yes, modern medicine is not a panacea, but individuals, for the most part, do not go to the hospital to get sicker. If they do, it is a result of their disease process’ ability to continue to progress despite the staff’s best intentions and efforts. Even at that point in my life, however, I was not naive enough to think that mistakes never happen, but I believed that the rate of these mistakes had to be exceedingly low – after all… Continue reading