Doctor Robert MacArthur Interview
Today, our group managed to have a conversation with Californian located orthopedist, Doc Robert MacArthur, addressing numerous questions about his personal encounters with incorrect surgical procedures and intraoperative burn, as well as the topic of "never should happen events".
Who is Dr. MacArthur?
Dr. Rob MacArthur completed his studies from the University of UC Berkeley with a double major in Biochem and Physiology. In the course of his time at the University, Doctor Bobby Mac was a renowned player, participating on both several box and rugby football teams.
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Subsequently, Doctor Bobby MacArthur registered at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and got elected as the chosen head of the Columbia P&S School of Medicine (Now known as the Vagelos School of Medicine). Robert Mac continued to conclude his orthopedic training at Harbor University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Robert MacArthur Addresses the Incidents
Statistically, the incidence of surgical errors tends to be a one-time event in a career for every orthopedist, but this count surges to four in each professional career for specialists in sports, hand surgery, and spine procedures. Sadly, many of these surgeons commonly do not record these cases, let alone, not discuss them openly. Doc Mac carries a profound sense of pride and satisfaction about how he dealt with these unfortunate occurrences.
Rather than attempting to hide the situation, Dr. MacArthur responded in a different manner
Dr. MacArthur’s Handling of the Wrong Site Surgery
Doc Rob MacArthur extensively looked into the underlying causal factors of his 2 events, and put out numerous works outlining how to avoid such events
Over time, earned acclaim as a published expert in the field of accidents that are preventable. He has penned two articles in the leading orthopedic journal, The Journal of Orthopedic Surgeons at the American Academy. In order to helping other doctors avert subsequent occurrences, the first piece walked the reader through the exact errors that occurred that resulted in the wrong site event.
The follow-up article, jointly written with Dr. David Ring, the Chairman of the AAOS, addressed the topic of the "shame and blame game." Assuming responsibility for these incidents is uncommon, as the usual reaction is pointing fingers at other parties. He stressed that shifting blame not only deters surgeons from making reports their incidents but also takes away from the vital analysis of primary reasons that may thwart future incidents.
The Intraoperative Burn Incident with Dr. Robert MacArthur
When talking about the surgical burn occurrence, Dr. Robert MacArthur displayed the same thorough investigative mindset he applied to his wrong site event research. As an illustration, he contacted the maker of the problematic clamp to determine if like burn events had happened. The maker notified him that the clamp in question had been Dr. Robert MacArthur "discontinued." You can draw your own conclusions from that what you desire.
In order to avoid irregular heating in large hinged clamps, Dr. MacArthur performed a thorough investigation of the reasons for uneven heating in big-hinged clamps.
The results of his investigation showed that rapid sterilization could lead to uneven heating. He noted that nursing organizations strongly advise against the use of flash sterilization unless there's an urgent need like sanitizing a fallen instrument. Further inquiry revealed that St. Joseph's Hospital was frequently using flash sterilization to enable back-to-back surgeries without having to buy extra equipment trays.
In an effort to avoid future burn incidents, Dr. Robert MacArthur alerted St. Joseph's of the hazards associated with continuing to use this specifically identified clamp and the frequent application of rapid sterilization.
Instead of blaming the clamp, Doctor MacArthur assumed accountability and made it obvious that he had committed a surgical mistake. He was informed that the clamp was heated, but when he held it, he found the handles to be at a pleasant temperature. Unlike some surgeons who may impatiently reach for a towel to manage a too-hot clamp, he carried out the procedure the clamp without pain.
Shame and Blame, Dr. Robert MacArthur's Response
When discussing Doctor MacArthur's response on the topic of the "culture of blame and shame," he spotlights how the legal and the wider public often confuse the "captain of the ship'' concept with identifying the underlying reasons. According to this "captain of the ship" perspective, the surgeon is held accountable for any unfavorable outcomes that take place to a patient under their care. This makes it enticing for many to solely blame the surgeon for any wrong site event.
Nevertheless, Dr. MacArthur emphasizes that this perspective goes against the fundamental principles of root cause analysis. This form of analysis intends to deeply understand what caused a surgical error to then optimaly prevent similar incidents in the future. By adopting blame and shame, not it not only impede proper investigation into the fundamental reasons, but it furthermore prevents other surgeons from disclosing their personal wrong site events, afraid of the repercussions.
He did not recognize that the large, substantial-sized hinge of the clamp was considerably hotter. When he positioned the clamp against the pretibial area of the patient's leg, it triggered a burn injury. He was being proctored for case privileges at CHOC during the incident, and none of the proctor nor Dr. MacArthur were right away aware of the burn.
It wasn't after he had dictated the operative report that a nurse in the recovery ward pointed out a small patch of redness on the anterior aspect of the patient's leg. Even in that moment, he did not at first fully grasp the seriousness of the burn.
Dr. MacArthur points to the air travel industry as an outstanding case of successful root cause analysis. From its inception, air travel industry has strived to comprehensively grasp the reasons behind each adverse aviation event rather than merely assigning blame to the pilot. Because of this dedication to understanding root causes, aviation sector boasts notable safety records.
Nevertheless, Dr. Robert MacArthur laments that healthcare field hasn't been able to fully adopt root cause analysis due to prevailing legal and public perceptions surrounding the "in-command" concept. The unfortunate outcome of this is that the frequency of avoidable medical mistakes remains unchanged, and the careers and reputations of many healthcare practitioners are unjustly tarnished.
The occurrence of wrong site surgery continues at an alarming rate of one event per surgeon per career, and as high as four events per surgeon's career for specialists in hand, spine, and sports.
Dr. Robert MacArthur “Sexual Harassment” Allegations
In the year 2023, it is feasible to bring forth false accusations against someone, slander their name and reputation, and experience no negative repercussions for the accuser. Regardless if the individual being accused is innocent or guilty, an accusation alone is enough to cause long-lasting damage to a professional's reputation.
Doctor Robert MacArthur shared that he elected to leave a workers compensation clinic because of suspected illegal behavior on the clinic's management. In retaliation, the manager of the clinic supposedly conspired with a patient to make a false accusation, accusing him of "stripping naked in the middle of the clinic and requesting sex in exchange for a favorable workers comp report.
He received information of this claim over a year after his departure from the clinic, at which point he insisted on undergoing a polygraph examination. The accuser, however, refused to take such a test.
Doctor Rob MacArthur was later informed that both his truth verification test results and her refusal to participate would be regarded inadmissible in court.
The mediating attorney cautioned him that the jury would likely be composed of "individuals similar to her" and not his, meaning a court loss could be potentially catastrophic. Despite the ludicrousness of the claim, he was counseled to settle for $29,000
Conclusion
The California Medical Board examined the accuser's claims and found them to be "not trustworthy," hinting at an ongoing investigation into the clinic. When we spoke to Dr. MacArthur, he hinted that the clinic was indicted, but he did not officially state this.
Regardless of the information provided earlier, Dr. Robert MacArthur found no means to remove the allegations made by the accuser from search engine results. Meaning, despite his innocence, the slander campaign was effective.
Considering that the claim does not state that Doctor MacArthur was found guilty, it merely acts as a summary of a complaint, which continues to be available to the public
Dr. Robert MacArthur strongly believes that those who make baseless allegations should face penalties equivalent to the severity of the event they falsely claim. To illustrate, he thinks that his false accuser should be considered to be a sexual predator and felon.
Doctor MacArthur concluded by thinking about the existence of both good and evil in the world, praying that those who read his account would never cross paths with someone capable of such harmful baseless allegations as he has faced.