Doctor Robert MacArthur Interview
Today, our group managed to have a conversation with Californian located orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Rob MacArthur, in light of the questions about his personal experiences with wrong site surgery and surgical burn incidents, as well as a topic of "never should happen events".
Who is Dr. MacArthur?
Doctor Rob Mac completed his studies from the University of California, Berkeley with a double major in Biochem and Physio. Throughout his time at the Univ, Doc Robert Mac used to be a renown athlete, competing on both various combat sports and Rugby teams.
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Following that, Doc Rob Mac entered at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and got elected as the chosen head of the Columbia P&S (Now known as the Vagelos school of medicine). Bobby Mac proceeded to complete his orthopaedic training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Robert MacArthur Addresses the Incidents
Statistically, the frequency of incorrect surgical procedures usually falls within a one-time event in a career for each orthopedic surgeon, but this count surges to fourfold in each professional career for sports, hand, and spine specialists. Sadly, numerous of these doctors frequently do not record such instances, let alone, not talk about them openly. Doctor Mac carries a intense sense of pride and satisfaction about how he faced these terrible occurrences.
Instead of trying to hide the situation, Doctor Mac responded in a different manner
Dr. MacArthur’s Handling of the Wrong Site Surgery
Doctor Rob MacArthur thoroughly looked into the origins of his two incidents, and released several works outlining how to avoid these situations
Gradually, earned acclaim as a renowned authority in the field of accidents that can be avoided. He's written two articles in the leading orthopedic journal, The Journal of Orthopedic Surgeons at the American Academy. In order to helping other doctors avert future incidents, his first work led the reader through the specific errors that happened that resulted in the wrong site event.
The second paper, jointly written with Dr. David Ring, addressed the topic of the "tendency to shame and blame." Being accountable for these incidents is uncommon, as the common response is blaming external factors. Dr. MacArthur stressed that accusations not just discourages surgeons from reporting their incidents but also detracts from the essential analysis of primary reasons that might prevent subsequent occurrences.
The Intraoperative Burn Incident with Dr. Robert MacArthur
When talking about the surgical burn occurrence, Dr. Robert Mac exhibited the same investigative vigor he applied to his wrong site event research. As an illustration, he contacted the manufacturer of Dr. Robert MacArthur the problematic clamp to find out if similar burn events had happened. The maker 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.
To avert uneven heating in huge hinged clamps, Doctor Mac performed a thorough investigation of the reasons for irregular temperature distribution in big-hinged clamps.
His findings indicated that quick sterilization could result in uneven heating. He pointed out that nursing organizations strongly advise against the use of rapid sterilization unless an emergency situation arises for instance, sterilizing a dropped component. Additional investigation revealed that St Joseph's Hospital was frequently employing quick sterilization to ease back-to-back surgeries without the necessity to acquire more equipment trays.
In a bid to prevent future burns, Dr. MacArthur alerted St. Joseph's of the risks associated with ongoing utilization of this specific clamp and the frequent application of quick sterilization.
Instead of blaming the clamp, Doctor MacArthur assumed accountability and made it clear that he had committed a surgical mistake. He was notified that the clamp had a high temperature, but when he held it, he found the handles to be at a comfortable temperature. Differing from some surgeons who may impatiently reach for a towel to handle a too-hot clamp, he carried out the procedure the clamp without any pain.
Shame and Blame, Dr. Robert MacArthur's Response
In The perspective of Dr. MacArthur on response on the topic of the "shame and blame game," he emphasizes how the legal and public communities often confuse the "in-command'' concept with root cause analysis. According to this "in-command" perspective, the surgeon is held accountable for any negative occurrences that take place to a patient under their care. This makes it tempting for many to exclusively blame the surgeon for any incorrect surgical procedure.
However, Dr. MacArthur emphasizes that this perspective opposes the core principles of root cause analysis. This form of analysis aims to deeply understand what caused a incorrect surgical procedure to then preferably prevent similar incidents in the future. By turning to shaming and blaming, not it not just impede proper investigation into the fundamental reasons, but it also discourages other surgeons from reporting their individual wrong site events, worried about the repercussions.
He failed to recognize that the large, hinge-like hinge of the clamp was considerably hotter. When he positioned the clamp against the shin area of the patient's leg, it triggered a burn injury. At the time, he was proctored for surgical privileges at Children's Hospital of Orange County during the incident, and neither the proctor nor Doctor MacArthur were promptly aware of the burn.
It wasn't after he had dictated the operative report that a nurse in the recovery ward drew attention to a small red area on the anterior aspect of the patient's leg. Even in that moment, he did not at the outset fully grasp the severity of the burn.
Dr. MacArthur references the aviation sector as an exemplary case of efficient root cause analysis. From its inception, the industry has strived to comprehensively grasp the reasons behind each adverse aviation event rather than simply attributing blame to the pilot. Because of this dedication to understanding root causes, aviation sector boasts impressive safety records.
However, Dr. MacArthur laments that healthcare field 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 regrettable result of this is that the incidence of preventable healthcare errors remains unchanged, and the professional careers and reputations of many doctors and healthcare providers are undeservedly tarnished.
The incidence of surgical errors persists at an alarming rate of one event per surgeon per career, and as many as four occurrences per surgeon's career for specialists in hand, spine, and sports.
Dr. Robert MacArthur “Sexual Harassment” Allegations
In 2023, it is feasible to levy false accusations against someone, smear their name and reputation, and experience no negative repercussions for the accuser. Regardless of whether the individual being accused is innocent or guilty, an accusation alone is enough to bring about long-lasting damage to a professional's reputation.
Doc Robert MacArthur shared that he elected to leave a workers compensation clinic because of potential illicit activities on part of. In retaliation, the clinic manager supposedly worked with a client to fabricate a claim, accusing him of "undressing in the clinic and soliciting sexual favors in return for a positive workers' compensation report.
He received information of this accusation over a year after his departure from the clinic, at which point he insisted on undergoing a truth verification test. The accuser, however, opted not to take such a test.
Dr. Rob MacArthur was later advised that both his polygraph examination results and her refusal to participate would be regarded 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 potentially catastrophic. Despite the ridiculousness 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 implied that the clinic was indicted, but he did not verify this.
Regardless of the information provided earlier, Dr. Robert MacArthur found no means to erase the accuser's claims from online search listings. Consequently, despite his lack of guilt, the slander campaign was achieving its goal.
Since the claim does not state that Doctor MacArthur was found guilty, it merely serves as a brief description of a complaint, which continues to be available to the public
Doctor MacArthur strongly believes that people making false claims should be subject to consequences equivalent to the consequences of the falsely claimed event. To illustrate, he thinks that his false accuser should be treated as a predator of a sexual nature and felon.
Doctor MacArthur concluded by reflecting on the existence of both good and evil in the world, praying 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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