I’ve blogged about how medical malpractice allegations and problems can sometimes be the result of poor communication. With that in mind, I thought the Medical Quack’s post on how a growing number of hospitals are posting patient reports about surgery on the web might be a positive development for preventing medmal litigation. “Hospitals are now posting surgery results and potential outcomes on their web sites. Excellent way for both the physician and patient to be informed up front on the potential outcome.” She points to a story headlined on the CBS News website: The Patient’s Prerogative, Hospitals Are Posting Surgical Results Online To Inform Those Considering Going Under The Knife:

After weeks of pain, Chuck Prigge is deciding whether to have back surgery, and he’s making his decision online.

His hospital, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, puts surgery results on the Internet.

Chuck can see that 62 percent of Dartmouth’s back surgery patients achieve symptom relief and that 85 percent would choose surgery again…

Prigge is leaning in favor of surgery because of what he learned online.

“I think it’s an honest way to go, to be able to tell what experiences people have had,” he said.

A 62 percent success rate tells him that not everyone gets perfect results. But thanks to an information revolution, at least he knows the odds.

If this gives more power to patients to decide on what happens to them, it seems to me it could only help avoid unnecessary litigation.