Documentary Explores the Stress of Litigation and a New Way to Resolve Patient Harm
Published on:
When an adverse event in healthcare leads to a malpractice claim, the road to resolution is long and often physically and emotionally draining for everyone involved. The feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, and pain that result from litigation can leave both plaintiffs and defendants feel as if the process failed them, and in many cases the experience is permanently life-altering.
In June 2024 PBS aired a documentary film entitled, “A World of Hurt: How Medical Malpractice Fails Everyone” which describes the stress of malpractice litigation on both physicians and patients by exploring three very different cases from various points of view. The film explores contrasting examples of one physician who was driven to suicide due to the stress of litigation, and another who channeled her experience as a defendant into teaching others how to cope with malpractice litigation.
In the third example, the film explores how disclosure and apology by a hospital helped a young couple to heal following the death of their infant daughter due to a medical error, and how formal communication and resolution programs (CRP) offer a promising new approach to resolving potential claims and restoring relationships following an adverse event.
Here is the link to the documentary: https://aworldofhurtfilm.weebly.com/
Since 2020, MIEC’s RESTORE Program has been successfully assisting our members in responding to unanticipated adverse events that result in patient injury by supporting open, clear communication with patients and, when appropriate, resolution of potential claims.
For more information, please see the RESTORE information page or contact us at (800) 227-4527.