Doctor Robert MacArthur Interview
On this particular day, our team managed to interview California's resident orthopedic surgeon, Doctor Bobby MacArthur, addressing numerous questions about his experiences with surgical errors and surgical burn incidents, as well as the area of "never should happen events".
Who is Dr. MacArthur?
Dr. Bobby MacArthur graduated from the Univ of California, Berkeley with a dual degree in Biochemistry and Physiology. During his time at the Univ, Doc Bobby MacArthur had been a renown player, engaging on both various boxing and rugby groups.
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Afterwards, Dr. Robert MacArthur registered at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was the president of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (Now known as the Vagelos Medical School). Bobby Mac went on to finish his orthopaedic training at Harbor UCLA.
Dr. Robert MacArthur Addresses the Incidents
Statistically, the incidence of incorrect surgical procedures usually falls within a one-time event in a career for every single orthopedic surgeon, but this figure increases to four for each lifetime for specialists in sports, hand surgery, and spine procedures. Sadly, a lot of of these surgeons commonly do not record such instances, let alone address them freely. Dr. MacArthur carries a intense sense of pride about how he dealt with these harrowing occurrences.
Rather than trying to hide the incident, Dr. MacArthur handled it differently
Dr. MacArthur’s Handling of the Wrong Site Surgery
Doctor Robert MacArthur extensively investigated the underlying root causes of his 2 incidents, and released numerous works describing how to prevent such events
He eventually, became acknowledged as a recognized specialist in the field of accidents that can be avoided. He has written two articles in the foremost orthopedic journal, The Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. In order to assisting other doctors stop future incidents, his first work guided the reader through the exact errors that occurred that led to the wrong site event.
His second publication, co-authored with Dr. David Ring, who is also the Chairman of the AAOS, addressed the topic of the "tendency to shame and blame." Being accountable for these incidents is seldom, as the common response is pointing fingers at other parties. He stressed that pointing fingers not only prevents surgeons from making reports their incidents but additionally diverts from the crucial analysis of primary reasons that could potentially avert upcoming events.
The Intraoperative Burn Incident with Dr. Robert MacArthur
When talking about the incident of burns during surgery, Dr. Robert Mac displayed the same dedicated investigative approach he applied to his wrong site event research. To illustrate, he got in touch with the manufacturer of the troublesome clamp to find out if similar burn events had transpired. The maker advised him that the clamp in question had been "ceased production." You can make your own inferences based on that what you wish.
And to prevent unequal temperature distribution in massive hinged clamps, Dr. Mac conducted a thorough investigation of what led to uneven heating in oversized clamps.
His findings indicated that rapid sterilization could result in irregular sterilization. He noted that associations for nurses strongly advise against the use of rapid sterilization unless there's an urgent need like sanitizing a dropped component. Additional investigation revealed that St Joseph's Hospital was frequently utilizing quick sterilization to ease back-to-back surgeries without the necessity to purchase additional equipment trays.
In a bid to prevent future burns, Doctor MacArthur notified St. Joseph's of the hazards associated with ongoing utilization of this particular clamp and also the routine deployment of rapid sterilization.
Rather than blaming the clamp, Dr. MacArthur took responsibility and made it evident that he had made a mistake during surgery. 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. In contrast to some surgeons who might impatiently grab a towel to grip a too-hot clamp, he carried out the procedure the clamp without any 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 highlights how the legal and general public communities often confuse the "captain of the ship'' concept with identifying the underlying reasons. According to this "in-command" perspective, the surgeon is considered responsible for any adverse events that take place to a patient under their care. This makes it enticing for many to exclusively blame the surgeon for any incorrect surgical procedure.
However, Dr. MacArthur stresses that this method contradicts the fundamental principles of identifying underlying causes. This form of analysis aims to comprehensively grasp what caused a surgical error in order to ideally prevent similar incidents in the future. By adopting blame and shame, not it not just hinder proper root cause analysis, but it also discourages other surgeons from disclosing their individual wrong site events, fearing the repercussions.
He did not recognize that the large, walnut-sized hinge of the clamp was noticeably hotter. When he positioned the clamp against the shin area of the patient's leg, it resulted in 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.
Not until until after he had dictated the operative report that an attending nurse in the recovery room pointed out a small red area on the anterior aspect of the patient's leg. Even at that point, he did not at the outset comprehend the extent of the burn.
Dr. Robert MacArthur points to the air travel industry as an outstanding case of successful root cause analysis. From its inception, aviation sector has sought to thoroughly comprehend the reasons behind each aviation incident rather than simply attributing blame to the pilot. Because of this commitment to understanding root causes, air travel industry boasts remarkable safety records.
Nevertheless, Dr. MacArthur laments that medical profession hasn't been able to completely embrace root cause analysis due to prevailing legal and public perceptions surrounding the "in-command" concept. The sad consequence of this is that the frequency of avoidable medical mistakes remains unchanged, and the careers and reputations of many doctors and healthcare providers are unfairly tarnished.
The occurrence of incorrect surgical procedures continues at an disturbing rate of one incident per surgeon per career, and up to four events per surgeon's career for hand, spine and sports subspecialists.
Dr. Robert MacArthur “Sexual Harassment” Allegations
In 2023, it is feasible to bring forth false accusations against someone, defame their name and reputation, and have no negative repercussions for the accuser. Regardless of whether the individual being accused is innocent or guilty, merely making an accusation is enough to inflict long-lasting damage to a professional's reputation.
Doc Bobby Mac disclosed that he chose to leave a workers compensation clinic because of possible unlawful practices on part of. In retaliation, the clinic manager reportedly conspired with a individual under treatment to create a fictitious complaint, accusing him of "stripping naked in the middle of the clinic and requesting sex in exchange for a favorable workers comp report.
He got to know of this allegation over a year after his departure from the clinic, at which point he insisted on undergoing a polygraph examination. The accuser, however, opted not to take such a test.
Doc Rob MacArthur was later informed that both his lie detector test results and her refusal to participate would be deemed inadmissible in court.
The attorney facilitating the mediation cautioned him that the jury would likely be composed of "her peers" and not his, meaning a court loss could be highly damaging. Despite the absurdity of the claim, he was counseled to settle for $29,000
Conclusion
California's Medical Board examined the accuser's claims and found them to be "non-credible," hinting at an ongoing investigation into the clinic. When we spoke to Dr. MacArthur, he suggested that the clinic was indicted, but he did not confirm Robert MacArthur this.
In spite of the facts presented above, Dr. MacArthur found no means to erase the accuser's claims from search engine results. Consequently, despite his lack of guilt, the campaign to tarnish his reputation was achieving its goal.
Since the claim does not state that Doctor MacArthur was found guilty, it merely functions as a summary of a complaint, which continues to be available to the public
Dr. 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 treated as a sex offender and felon.
Doctor MacArthur concluded by contemplating the existence of both good and evil in the world, wishing that those who read his account would never encounter with someone capable of such harmful baseless allegations as he has faced.
Dr. MacArthur: A Renowned Orthopedic Surgeon
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