If you are a physician like me who performs procedures, then rarely you will cause a medical complication. This is a reality of medical life. If perforation of the colon with colonoscopy occurs at a rate of 1 in 1500, and you do 3000 colonoscopies each year, then you can do the math. Remember that a complication is a blameless event, in contrast to a negligent act when the physician is culpable. These days, for many reasons, an actual complication is confused or misconstrued as an error. Some complications are more difficult on physicians than others. For example, if I prescribe a medication and the patient develops a severe rash, I do not feel personally responsible. It’s the drug’s fault. However, when I perforate someone’s colon as a medical complication, I feel responsible even if this act was a blameless event which will occur at a very low but finite rate. (Of course, there are perforations of the colon which result from medical negligence, but I am leaving these as
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