Doctor Robert MacArthur Interview
On this particular day, our team were to have a conversation with Californian resident bone specialist, Doctor Rob Mac, addressing numerous questions about his encounters with incorrect surgical procedures and intraoperative burn, as well as the broader subject of "never should happen events".
Who is Dr. MacArthur?
Doctor Robert MacArthur graduated from the University of UC Berkeley with a double major in Biochem and Physio. In the course of his time at the Univ, Dr. Bobby Mac used to be a renown athlete, engaging on both several box and rugby squads.
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Subsequently, Dr. Bobby MacArthur entered at the Columbia P&S, and got elected as the president of the Columbia P&S (Now known as the Vagelos Medical School). Robert MacArthur proceeded to finish his orthopaedic training at Harbor University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Robert MacArthur Addresses the Incidents
In statistical terms, the incidence of incorrect surgical procedures usually falls within a seldom happening occurrence for every single orthopedic surgeon, but this count jumps to four in each professional career for sports, hand, and spine specialists. Unfortunately, numerous of these surgeons commonly do not document such instances, let alone, not talk about them publicly. Doctor MacArthur carries a intense sense of pride and accomplishment about how he faced these unfortunate occurrences.
Rather than attempting to conceal the incident, Dr. MacArthur handled it differently
Dr. MacArthur’s Handling of the Wrong Site Surgery
Dr. Bobby Mac extensively examined the root causes of his 2 occurrences, and published numerous works describing how to avoid these occurrences
Over time, became acknowledged as a published expert in the field of accidents that are preventable. He's authored a couple of articles in a prominent orthopedic journal, The Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. With the aim of aiding other doctors prevent subsequent occurrences, his initial article guided the reader through the specific errors that took place that resulted in the incorrect surgical procedure.
The follow-up article, jointly written with Dr. David Ring, the Chairman of the AAOS, broached the topic of the "tendency to shame and blame." Taking responsibility for these incidents is seldom, as the common response is blaming third parties. Dr. MacArthur stressed that pointing fingers not only discourages surgeons from disclosing their incidents but furthermore takes away from the essential analysis of root causes that may prevent future incidents.
The Intraoperative Burn Incident with Dr. Robert MacArthur
In the context of discussing the intraoperative burn incident, Dr. Robert Mac exhibited the same thorough investigative mindset he utilized to his research on wrong-site surgeries. To illustrate, he got in touch with the maker of the faulty clamp to ascertain if like burn events had occurred. The maker notified him that the clamp in question had been "discontinued." You can make your own inferences based on that what you desire.
In order to avoid irregular heating in huge hinged clamps, Dr. MacArthur performed a detailed investigation of the reasons for irregular temperature distribution in oversized clamps.
His findings indicated that rapid sterilization could result in inconsistent temperature distribution. He observed that nursing organizations highly recommend against the use of flash sterilization unless an emergency situation arises like sterilizing a item that has fallen. Additional investigation revealed that St Joseph's Hospital often using flash sterilization to enable back-to-back surgeries without needing to purchase additional equipment trays.
With the aim to avoid future burn incidents, Dr. Robert MacArthur informed the hospital at St. Joseph's of potential dangers associated with the continued use of this specifically identified clamp as well as the frequent application of quick sterilization.
In place of blaming the clamp, Dr. MacArthur assumed accountability Robert MacArthur and made it obvious that he had committed a surgical error. He was notified that the clamp had a high temperature, but when he grasped it, he found the handles to be at a tolerable temperature. In contrast to some surgeons who might impatiently use a towel to grip a too-hot clamp, he carried out the procedure the clamp with no pain.
Shame and Blame, Dr. Robert MacArthur's Response
When discussing The perspective of Dr. MacArthur on response on the topic of the "blame game," he emphasizes how the legal and public communities often conflate the "captain of the ship'' concept with analyzing the fundamental causes. According to this "in-command" perspective, the surgeon is responsible for any negative occurrences that happen to a patient under their care. This makes it enticing for many to exclusively blame the surgeon for any incorrect surgical procedure.
Nevertheless, Doctor MacArthur emphasizes that this perspective goes against the principles of identifying underlying causes. This form of analysis intends to comprehensively grasp what caused a wrong site event to then preferably stop similar incidents in the future. By turning to blame and shame, not only does it hinder proper analysis of the root causes, but it furthermore deters other surgeons from reporting on their own wrong site events, fearing the repercussions.
He did not recognize that the sizeable, hinge-like hinge of the clamp was considerably hotter. When he positioned the clamp against the front shin area of the patient's leg, it resulted in a skin burn. He was being proctored for surgical privileges at CHOC during the incident, and none of the proctor nor Dr. Robert MacArthur were right away aware of the burn.
It was not after he had dictated the operative report that a recovery room nurse noticed a tiny red spot on the anterior aspect of the patient's leg. Even in that moment, he did not at the outset realize the seriousness of the burn.
Dr. Robert MacArthur references the airline industry as an outstanding case of efficient root cause analysis. From its inception, the industry has strived to comprehensively grasp the reasons behind each aviation incident rather than just blaming to the pilot. Because of this dedication to understanding root causes, aviation sector boasts notable safety records.
Nonetheless, Dr. MacArthur laments that medical profession hasn't been able to fully adopt root cause analysis due to prevailing legal and public perceptions surrounding the "captain of the ship" concept. The unfortunate outcome of this is that the incidence of preventable healthcare errors remains unchanged, and the professional careers and reputations of many medical professionals are unjustly tarnished.
The occurrence of incorrect surgical procedures persists at an disturbing rate of one event per surgeon per career, and as many as four incidents per surgeon's career for specialists in hand, spine, and sports.
Dr. Robert MacArthur “Sexual Harassment” Allegations
In 2023, it is feasible to bring forth false accusations against someone, smear their name and reputation, and have no negative repercussions for the accuser. Regardless if the person facing accusations is innocent or guilty, an accusation alone is enough to inflict long-lasting damage to a professional's reputation.
Doctor Rob MacArthur revealed that he elected to leave a clinic specializing in workers' compensation cases because of suspected illegal behavior on part of. In retaliation, the manager of the clinic allegedly conspired with a individual under treatment to make a false accusation, accusing him of "undressing in the clinic and soliciting sexual favors in return for a positive workers' compensation report.
He got to know of this accusation over a year after his departure from the clinic, at which point he demanded on undergoing a truth verification test. The accuser, however, declined to take such a test.
Doctor Robert Mac was later advised that both his truth verification test results and her refusal to participate would be considered inadmissible in court.
The mediating attorney cautioned him that the jury would likely be composed of "people with similar backgrounds and experiences as her" and not his, meaning a court loss could be highly damaging. 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 "non-credible," hinting at an ongoing investigation into the clinic. When we spoke to Dr. MacArthur, he implied 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 accuser's claims from online search listings. Consequently, despite his clear conscience, the campaign to tarnish his reputation was effective.
Considering that the claim does not state that Dr. Robert MacArthur was found guilty, it merely serves as a brief description of a complaint, which continues to be publicly accessible
Dr. Robert MacArthur strongly believes that people making false claims 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 predator of a sexual nature and felon.
Dr. MacArthur concluded by thinking about the existence of both good and evil in the world, hoping that those who