Doctor Robert MacArthur Interview
On this particular day, we were to have a conversation with California's based bone specialist, Doctor Robert MacArthur, addressing various inquiries about his personal encounters with surgical errors and intraoperative burn, as well as the broader topic of "never should happen events".
Who is Dr. MacArthur?
Dr. Rob MacArthur graduated from the University of Cal Berkeley with a double major in Biochemistry and Physio. In the course of his time at the Univ, Dr. Robert Mac had been a renown sportsman, participating on both several box and rugby teams.
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Afterwards, Dr. Rob MacArthur registered at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and got elected as the president of the Columbia P&S (Now known as the Vagelos school of medicine). Rob MacArthur went on to conclude his orthopaedic training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Robert MacArthur Addresses the Incidents
According to statistics, the occurrence of incorrect surgical procedures tends to be a seldom happening occurrence for each orthopedic surgeon, but this figure increases to 4 in each professional career for sports, hand, and spine specialists. Regrettably, numerous of these often do not record these cases, let alone, not discuss them openly. Dr. MacArthur carries a intense sense of pride and satisfaction about how he faced these harrowing occurrences.
Rather than trying to conceal what happened, Dr. Mac responded in a different manner
Dr. MacArthur’s Handling of the Wrong Site Surgery
Dr. Robert Mac completely looked into the origins of his dual occurrences, and published numerous works describing how to stop these situations
Gradually, earned acclaim as a published expert in the field of preventable accidents. He has written a couple of articles in the leading orthopedic journal, The Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. In order to assisting other doctors stop subsequent occurrences, the first piece walked the reader through the exact errors that occurred that led to 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." Taking responsibility for these incidents is seldom, as the tempting course of action is blaming third parties. Dr. MacArthur stressed that accusations not just deters surgeons from reporting their incidents but additionally detracts from the crucial analysis of primary reasons that may prevent upcoming events.
The Intraoperative Burn Incident with Dr. Robert MacArthur
In the context of discussing the surgical burn occurrence, Dr. MacArthur exhibited the same thorough investigative mindset he utilized to his research on wrong-site surgeries. As an illustration, he contacted the manufacturer of the troublesome clamp to ascertain if similar burn events had transpired. The producer notified 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 irregular heating in large hinged clamps, Doctor Mac performed a thorough investigation of what led to irregular temperature distribution in large-hinged clamps.
His research findings suggested that rapid sterilization could cause irregular sterilization. He pointed out that nursing organizations strongly advise against the use of quick sterilization unless there's an urgent need like sterilizing a fallen instrument. Deeper examination revealed that St. Joseph's Hospital regularly using quick sterilization to facilitate back-to-back surgeries without having to acquire more equipment trays.
In a bid to prevent future burns, Doctor MacArthur alerted St Joseph's of the risks associated with ongoing utilization of this specific clamp and also the frequent application of rapid sterilization.
Instead of blaming the clamp, Dr. Robert MacArthur accepted responsibility and made it Dr. Robert MacArthur evident that he had made a surgical error. He was advised that the clamp had a high temperature, but when he held it, he found the handles to be at a tolerable temperature. In contrast to some surgeons who may impatiently use a towel to manage a too-hot clamp, he carried out the procedure the clamp with no uneasiness.
Shame and Blame, Dr. Robert MacArthur's Response
Regarding Dr. MacArthur's response on the topic of the "shame and blame game," he spotlights how the legal and public communities often confuse the "captain of the ship'' concept with analyzing the fundamental causes. According to this "in-command" perspective, the surgeon is considered responsible for any unfavorable outcomes that take place to a patient under their care. This makes it appealing for many to exclusively blame the surgeon for any wrong site event.
Nevertheless, Dr. MacArthur emphasizes that this method contradicts the core principles of root cause analysis. This form of analysis intends to comprehensively grasp what caused a surgical error in order to optimaly prevent similar incidents in the future. By adopting blaming and shaming, not it not just impede proper analysis of the root causes, but it furthermore prevents other surgeons from reporting on their individual wrong site events, worried about the repercussions.
He did not recognize that the sizeable, walnut-sized hinge of the clamp was considerably hotter. When he positioned the clamp against the pretibial area of the patient's leg, it caused a skin burn. At the time, he was proctored for surgical privileges at CHOC during the incident, and not the proctor nor Dr. MacArthur were immediately aware of the burn.
It wasn't until after he had dictated the operative report that an attending nurse in the recovery room drew attention to a small red area on the anterior aspect of the patient's leg. Even at that point, he did not at first realize the severity of the burn.
Dr. Robert MacArthur cites the air travel industry as an model case of successful root cause analysis. From its inception, the industry has sought to deeply understand the reasons behind each negative aviation occurrence rather than merely assigning blame to the pilot. Because of this commitment to understanding root causes, aviation sector boasts remarkable 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 regrettable result of this is that the rate of preventable medical errors remains unchanged, and the careers and reputations of many healthcare practitioners are unfairly tarnished.
The frequency of surgical errors persists at an disturbing rate of one event per surgeon per career, and up to four incidents per surgeon's career for hand, spine and sports subspecialists.
Dr. Robert MacArthur “Sexual Harassment” Allegations
As of 2023, there exists the possibility to levy false accusations against someone, slander their name and reputation, and experience no negative repercussions for the accuser. Regardless if the accused is innocent or guilty, merely making an accusation is enough to cause long-lasting damage to a professional's reputation.
Doctor Rob MacArthur revealed that he opted to leave a clinic specializing in workers' compensation cases because of potential illicit activities on part of. In retaliation, the clinic manager supposedly collaborated 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 was informed 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.
Doc Robert MacArthur was later advised that both his lie detector 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 "people with similar backgrounds and experiences as 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
California's 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 verify this.
In spite of the facts presented above, Doctor MacArthur found no means to erase the allegations made by the accuser from search engine results. Meaning, 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 condensed version of a complaint, which continues to be openly accessible to anyone
Dr. MacArthur strongly believes that individuals who lodge false accusations should receive punishments equivalent to the consequences of the falsely claimed event. To illustrate, he thinks that his false accuser should be considered to be a predator of a sexual nature and felon.
Doctor MacArthur concluded by contemplating the existence of both good and evil in the world, hoping that those who read his account would never cross paths with someone capable of such destructive unfounded claims as he has faced.