Medical Nightmares: The Human Face of Errors

Cynthia R. Comacchio is an associate professor of history at Wilfrid
Laurier University. She is the author of Nations Are Built of Babies:
Saving Ontario’s Mothers and Children.

With a doctorate in entomology/microbiology, much experience in the
medical field, and a current position as a community coroner, Susan
McIver is well placed to discuss the nature of medical error behind some
of the 10,000 or so Canadian deaths each year that can be ascribed to
such mistakes. The stories—recounted in Part 1 of the book—are
frankly harrowing, but McIver has not set out to sensationalize the
issues or to levy blanket accusations of malpractice. Her point is that
much of this error, and its tragic aftermath, is itself preventable.

Part 2 details what is currently being done to ensure against medical
error, with steps ranging from the establishment of provincial systems
for reporting medical errors (the author strongly advises a national
error registration system) to the efforts by individual hospitals to
develop appropriate disclosure policies. Most helpful are McIver’s
recommendations to patients as to how they can protect themselves and
their loved ones from the results of human error in medical
treatment—the key to which, as always, is taking responsibility for
your own health, being an informed patient, and advocating on your own
behalf or on behalf of family members.

In addition to serving as a warning to the medical profession as well
as to patients, Medical Nightmares offers valuable practical advice on a
subject that leaves many of us feeling truly vulnerable. A must-buy for
every public library.