2006, Vol.9, No.2

Korean Journal of Medical Ethics 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.21

pISSN : 2005-8284 / eISSN : 2234-3598
https://journal.kci.go.kr/medethics

Some of the medical problems that physicians confront cannot be solved merely through the application of objective medical knowledge and technology. Some medical problems involve a moral dimension related to the life of the patient. Therefore, physicians should be interested, not only in medical technologies and techniques, but also in the lives of their patients. For this reason, increasing emphasis is being placed on communication between patients and physicians. In order to treat patients effectively, physicians should consider the requirements and values of their patients through dialogue with them. However, problems arise in light of the fact that patients and physicians may not always agree in the course of their communication. There is always room for conflict between the physician’s and the patient’s view of what is best for the patient. The virtue of respect, as the inner character and quality that make individuals act appropriately when faced with moral dilemmas, has an important meaning in medical practice. The virtue of respect, internalized to become part of one’s own character, becomes an important value in the decision-making process and enables physicians to do what is in the best interests of their patients. The virtue of respect is a fundamental virtue for communication between physicians and patients and is an especially important value in current medical practice, which places great emphasis on the rights of patients.

This paper examines the relationship between poor physician-patient communication and litigation. The most important factor leading to a compromise in a medical dispute following an adverse event is a match between what the patient wants and what the physician provides. The following recommendations, based on the pew demonstration mediation and ADR project in Pensylvania hospitals, are given: 1) that physicians and other health care professionals develop an awareness of the communications skills most likely to be useful during disclosure conversations; 2) that hospitals recruit or train in-house experts available as consultants to aid in planning, conducting, and debriefing disclosure conversations; 3) that hospitals encourage physicians, patient safety officers, and risk managers to spend time planning before conducting disclosure conversations; 4) that physicians, hospital representatives, and other health care providers offer an appropriate apology after an adverse event or error; 5) that hospitals and senior physicians provide opportunities for debriefing and support for health care professionals after an error; 6) that hospitals use mediation as soon as practical after an adverse event to settle potential claims. Taking steps to improve disclosure conversations and using alternatives to litigating medical malpractice claims will help hospitals reduce costs, improve patient safety, and restore trust.

A study was designed to determine the characteristics, conduct, and impact of a good nurse from the point of view of patients in Korean university hospitals. The study was carried out at two university hospitals in Seoul and one university hospital outside of Seoul. A total of 600 patients (200 at each hospital) were surveyed. With respect to the characteristics of a good nurse, the study showed that patients believe that a good nurse should be kind, cheerful, sincere, trustworthy, considerate, and that nurses must treat patients like family members. In order to determine the conduct of a good nurse as viewed by patients, eight factors were considered, including compassion, professional pride, patient-centered caring, professional knowledge, trust, expertise, respect for patients, and advocacy. When attitudes towards the different factors were measured and converted to scores out of 100 percent, the factor that scored highest was professional knowledge (82.52), followed by professional pride (78.61), trust (78.11), and patient respect (76.90). As for the impact of a good nurse, patients reported that a good nurse induces trust, feelings of security, courage, and cheerfulness in patients. This research shows that a good nurse is conceived as someone who is friendly, bright, sincere, understanding, and treats the patient like family members. If a patient receives care from such a nurse, the patient will rely on the nurse, feel safe, have confidence in the struggle against his or her disease, and have a brighter disposition while undergoing care. Furthermore, although the professional knowledge and pride of nurses are important factors in a patient’s care, for nurses to have an empathetic attitude toward patients, it is suggested that they receive continued education.