Doctor Robert MacArthur Interview
On this particular day, our group managed to conduct an interview with California's based bone specialist, Doctor Rob MacArthur, in response to various inquiries about his own encounters with wrong site surgery and burns during surgery, as well as a topic of "events that should never occur".
Who is Dr. MacArthur?
Doctor Rob Mac graduated from the Univ of Cal Berkeley with a double major in Biochem and Physiology. Throughout his time at the Univ, Dr. Rob MacArthur was a renown athlete, participating on both several combat sports and rugby football teams.
Here is your paragraph formatted into heavy spintax:
Following that, Doctor Rob Mac enrolled at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was the chosen president of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (Now known as the Vagelos School of Medicine). Robert MacArthur proceeded to finish his orthopedic training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Robert MacArthur Addresses the Incidents
According to statistics, the frequency of wrong site surgery usually falls within a seldom happening occurrence for every single orthopedic surgeon, but this count increases to 4 in each career for specialists in sports, hand surgery, and spine procedures. Unfortunately, numerous of these commonly do not report these cases, let alone address them freely. Doctor MacArthur carries a deep sense of pride about how he confronted these terrible occurrences.
Instead of attempting to hide what happened, Doc MacArthur reacted differently
Dr. MacArthur’s Handling of the Wrong Site Surgery
Dr. Robert Mac completely examined the underlying root causes of his 2 occurrences, and released several works describing how to stop these occurrences
He eventually, became acknowledged as a published expert in the field of accidents that can be avoided. He has penned two articles in the leading orthopedic journal, The Journal of Orthopedic Surgeons at the American Academy. To assisting other doctors stop future incidents, his initial article led the reader through the specific errors that took place that resulted in the incorrect surgical procedure.
The follow-up article, authored together with Dr. David Ring, the Chairman of the AAOS, broached the topic of the "tendency to shame and blame." Being accountable for these incidents is seldom, as the common response is blaming other parties. He stressed that accusations not only discourages surgeons from disclosing their incidents but also takes away from the essential analysis of root causes that may avert future incidents.
The Intraoperative Burn Incident with Dr. Robert MacArthur
When discussing the intraoperative burn incident, Dr. MacArthur exhibited the same investigative vigor he utilized to his research on wrong-site surgeries. As an illustration, he got in touch with the maker of the troublesome clamp to determine if comparable burn events had happened. The manufacturer notified him that the clamp in question had been "no longer in production." You can make your own inferences based on that what you wish.
In order to avoid unequal temperature distribution in massive hinged clamps, Doctor MacArthur carried out a comprehensive investigation of what led to irregular temperature distribution in oversized clamps.
His findings indicated that quick sterilization could result in inconsistent temperature distribution. He observed that nursing organizations highly recommend against the use of rapid sterilization unless it's an emergency, for instance, sanitizing a item that has fallen. Deeper examination revealed that St. Joseph's Hospital regularly utilizing quick sterilization to ease back-to-back surgeries without needing to acquire more equipment trays.
With the aim to prevent future burns, Dr. Robert MacArthur notified St. Joseph's of the risks associated with the continued use of this specifically identified clamp and the regular use of rapid sterilization.
Instead of blaming the clamp, Dr. MacArthur accepted responsibility and made it evident that he had made a surgical error. He was advised that the clamp was heated, but when he took hold of it, he found the handles to be at a comfortable temperature. Differing from some surgeons who may impatiently reach for a towel to grip a too-hot clamp, he performed surgery the clamp with no pain.
Shame and Blame, Dr. Robert MacArthur's Response
Regarding Doctor MacArthur's response on the topic of the "culture of blame and shame," he spotlights how the legal and general public communities often mix up the "in-command'' concept with identifying the underlying reasons. According to this "captain of the ship" perspective, the surgeon is held accountable for any adverse events that occur to a patient under their care. This makes it enticing for many to solely blame the surgeon for any wrong site event.
However, Dr. MacArthur emphasizes that this method goes against the core principles of root cause analysis. This form of analysis aims to deeply understand what caused a surgical error to then preferably avert similar incidents in the future. By turning to blame and shame, not it not only hinder proper analysis of the root causes, but it furthermore deters other surgeons from reporting on their individual wrong site events, worried about the repercussions.
He failed to recognize that the big, substantial-sized hinge of the clamp was significantly hotter. When he positioned the clamp against the shin area of the patient's leg, it caused a skin burn. At the time, he was proctored for case privileges at CHOC during the incident, and not the proctor nor Doctor MacArthur were promptly aware of the burn.
Not until only after he had dictated the operative report that an attending nurse in Robert MacArthur the recovery room noticed a tiny red spot on the anterior aspect of the patient's leg. Even then, he did not at first realize the severity of the burn.
Dr. Robert MacArthur cites the airline industry as an outstanding case of successful root cause analysis. From its inception, the industry has aimed to comprehensively grasp the reasons behind each negative aviation occurrence rather than merely assigning blame to the pilot. Because of this dedication to understanding root causes, aviation sector boasts remarkable safety records.
However, Doctor MacArthur laments that the medical community hasn't been able to completely embrace root cause analysis due to prevailing legal and public perceptions surrounding the "captain of the ship" concept. The regrettable result of this is that the incidence of preventable healthcare errors remains unchanged, and the careers and reputations of many healthcare practitioners are undeservedly tarnished.
The incidence of incorrect surgical procedures persists at an worrying rate of one incident per surgeon per career, and up to four incidents per surgeon's career for specialists in hand, spine, and sports.
Dr. Robert MacArthur “Sexual Harassment” Allegations
As of 2023, it is possible to bring forth false accusations against someone, defame their name and reputation, and experience no negative repercussions for the accuser. Irrespective of the accused is innocent or guilty, an accusation alone is enough to inflict long-lasting damage to a professional's reputation.
Dr. Robert MacArthur shared that he elected to leave a workers compensation clinic because of suspected illegal behavior on part of. In retaliation, the clinic manager supposedly collaborated with a individual under treatment 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 allegation over a year after his departure from the clinic, at which point he insisted on undergoing a truth verification test. The accuser, however, declined to take such a test.
Dr. Bobby Mac was later informed that both his lie detector test results and the accuser's refusal to participate would be considered inadmissible in court.
The lawyer acting as mediator cautioned him that the jury would likely be composed of "individuals similar to her" and not his, meaning a court loss could be extremely detrimental. Despite the ridiculousness of the claim, he was counseled to settle for $29,000
Conclusion
The Medical Board of California 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 verify this.
Regardless of the facts presented above, Dr. Robert MacArthur found no means to erase the allegations made by the accuser from Internet search results. Meaning, despite his clear conscience, the slander campaign was achieving its goal.
As the claim does not state that Dr. MacArthur was found guilty, it merely functions as a brief description of a complaint, which continues to be publicly accessible
Doctor MacArthur strongly believes that people making false claims should be subject to consequences equivalent to the severity of the event they falsely claim. To illustrate, he thinks that his false accuser should be classified as a predator of a sexual nature and felon.
Dr. Robert MacArthur concluded by reflecting on the coexistence of goodness and malevolence in the world, wishing that those who read his account would never come into contact with someone capable of such destructive unfounded claims as he has