Physicians Think They Should Report Errors and Incompetence — but Say They Often Do Not

Physicians are among the most trusted professionals in America, but a new survey shows that when it comes to dealing with colleagues’ mistakes or incompetence, many doctors abandon the high standards they espouse.

The first-of-its-kind survey of more than 1,600 physicians, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that 45 percent said they did not always report an incompetent or impaired colleague to the appropriate authorities — even though 96 percent agreed that doctors should turn in such people.