Strategies to Enhance Boards of Medicine Responses to Medical Error

Abstract

Current models governing how boards of medicine regulate the practice of medicine rely heavily on concepts from the past. Changes in our understanding of how medical errors occur, as well as in the organization and delivery of health care, have created challenges for boards when addressing medical errors. We conducted a qualitative study to explore the principles that boards use to respond to medical errors and to identify opportunities for improvement. Twenty key informant interviews were conducted with board members and staff, followed by two focus group discussions with 16 participants who actively participate in the process of medical regulation. Our results show that the major principles guiding boards of medicine in regulation around medical errors include fairness, consistency, efficiency and transparency. Implementation of these principles proved difficult, partly because of boards’ lack of authority over health care institutions. We recommend the development of a broader array of tools for boards to use in response to medical errors. Increased efforts are also needed to strengthen communication and collaboration among boards, physicians and health care organizations. Additionally, we suggest that boards implement and report performance metrics to promote public engagement and enhance trust in them.