IRMA-International.org: Creator of Knowledge
Information Resources Management Association
Advancing the Concepts & Practices of Information Resources Management in Modern Organizations

The Psychological Impact of Medical Error on Patients, Family Members, and Health Professionals

The Psychological Impact of Medical Error on Patients, Family Members, and Health Professionals
View Sample PDF
Author(s): Mary I. Gouva (TEI of Epirus, Greece)
Copyright: 2017
Pages: 26
Source title: Impact of Medical Errors and Malpractice on Health Economics, Quality, and Patient Safety
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Marina Riga (Health Economist-Researcher, Greece)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2337-6.ch007

Purchase

View The Psychological Impact of Medical Error on Patients, Family Members, and Health Professionals on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

The current chapter examines the psychological implications emerging from medical errors. Whilst the psychological effects have studied, nonetheless the consequent impacts and the underlying psychological causes have not been sufficiently analysed and/ or interpreted. The chapter will add to the literate by using a psychodynamic approach in analysing the psychological impact of medical errors and provide interpretations of the underlying causes. The chapter concludes that medical errors lead to a series of implications. For the patient the quality of interactions with health professionals are directly affected and usually have immediate consequences. The impact of these consequences in the patient is mediated by the patient's personality, history of the individual and the psychoanalytic destiny of the patient. For the patient's relatives medical errors create emotional cracks leading to regression and eventual transference of the medical errors as a “bad” object. For health professionals medical errors impact upon the psychological defence mechanisms of the psychic Ego.

Related Content

Siraj Kariyilaparambu Kunjumuhammed. © 2026. 28 pages.
Abel Jacob, Abhinav Kataria, Pankaj Dhaundiyal. © 2026. 28 pages.
Siraj Kariyilaparambu Kunjumuhammed. © 2026. 26 pages.
Antonio Pesqueira, Dora Almeida. © 2026. 28 pages.
Shanmuga Pria, Iman Al Rubaie, Venkata vara Prasad. © 2026. 24 pages.
Devender K, Kafila M, Geetha Manoharan. © 2026. 18 pages.
Terezin Mathew, Roshna Varghese, K Latha. © 2026. 36 pages.
Body Bottom