Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
Study
Classic

How house officers cope with their mistakes.

Wu AW, Folkman S, McPhee SJ, Lo B. How house officers cope with their mistakes. West J Med. 1993;159(5):565-569.

Save
Print
March 6, 2005
Wu AW, Folkman S, McPhee SJ, et al. West J Med. 1993;159(5):565-569.
View more articles from the same authors.

In this article, the authors report on how house officers cope with their medical mistakes and how different coping strategies lead to changes in practice or emotional distress. An anonymous questionnaire requested that house officers report on the most important mistake and their response to it. Analysis of the results revealed that house officers who accept responsibility for their actions are more likely to make constructive changes in their practice but experience greater emotional distress. Escape-avoidance coping mechanisms resulted in defensive changes in practice. The authors conclude with suggestions for medical educators to help residents handle serious medical mistakes.

Save
Print
Cite
Citation

Wu AW, Folkman S, McPhee SJ, Lo B. How house officers cope with their mistakes. West J Med. 1993;159(5):565-569.

Related Resources From the Same Author(s)
Related Resources