Has there ever been a time when you had to notify a patient of a missed diagnosis or an inaccurate result that was given to you?
"I haven't been faced with an experience like this yet in my career, and I am very thankful to say so. I do always try to double-check results, especially if they are indicative of an abnormality or poor prognosis before notifying a patient in hopes of preventing an episode like this."
While healthcare providers strive for accuracy and thorough care, no one is above making a mistake. The interviewer understands that. The important thing is being willing to address a mistake with professionalism and proper follow-through. That is what the interviewer wants to see in your answer.
"I can recall an instance when some lab results were misfiled on a patient's paper chart. Unfortunately, the results were bad news which left the patient devastated. Once the error was realized, we called the patient and asked her to come into the clinic for a consultation. Of course, she was thankful to know that her prognosis was not bad, but it was a very emotional event. We used that experience as the foundation for implementing new guidelines on verifying and documenting orders before a patient was notified."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Yes, I had three to four patients with diagnoses of hypo and hyperthyroidism who were under my treatment, but the symptoms and responses to treatments were very unusual, then I did some research and send them to private labs, and ______ hospital lab at the same time then I realized that our lab response is different from private labs. I sent a letter to management attached with both lab results. Finally, I realized that the hospital for a period of time was using outdated kits. I recalled all patients with thyroid tests during that period and corrected all mistakes and apologized to all of them.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is a good example where the issue wasn't necessarily life-threatening but needed to be identified, addressed, and corrected. It's great to share that you took ownership like this, took the initiative to understand what was happening, and apologized to patients for the error.
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