Dr. Shamin Eabenson on Medical Negligence Awareness

Dr. Shamin Eabenson Highlights the Need for Greater Awareness of Medical Negligence Among Future Doctors

Dr. Shamin Eabenson, MBBS, MD (Community Medicine), Founder & Director of Eabenson Healthcare Private Limited, is contributing to the field of medical education and public health through research focused on an important issue in modern healthcare: medical negligence and patient safety.

Medical negligence is not simply a legal concern. It is closely connected with patient safety, professional responsibility, healthcare quality, and the well-being of medical professionals. Dr. Eabenson’s recent cross-sectional study among undergraduate medical students in Vijayapura, North Karnataka, explores how future doctors understand medical negligence, medico-legal responsibilities, and safe clinical practices.

Understanding Medical Negligence in Healthcare

Medical practice involves complex decisions, demanding workloads, and significant responsibility. Unexpected patient outcomes can occur for several reasons, including disease progression, delayed medical attention, complications beyond a healthcare provider’s control, failure to follow medical advice, and errors in clinical practice.

The research highlights that factors such as stress, burnout, lack of knowledge, inadequate communication, overwork, sleeplessness, and insufficient continuing medical education can contribute to situations associated with medical negligence. Understanding these risk factors is essential for developing safer healthcare environments.

Study Examines Perceptions of Future Doctors

Dr. Shamin Eabenson and his research team conducted the study among 151 undergraduate medical students at BLDE (DU) Shri B. M. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Vijayapura, Karnataka.

The participants were students from the 2023 admission batch who had completed approximately three years of their MBBS course. The study used a standardized questionnaire to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to medical negligence and medico-legal issues.

The findings showed that 62.9% of students had good knowledge regarding medical negligence, while 23.8% demonstrated moderate knowledge and 13.2% had poor knowledge.

The study also examined attitudes. 50.3% of participants demonstrated a positive attitude, 43.7% had a neutral attitude, and 6% showed a negative attitude toward the issues evaluated.

Medical Law Education Has an Important Role

One of the key observations from the research was that not every student had received formal training in medical law or ethics. While 60.3% reported receiving some formal training, 39.7% had not received such training.

This highlights the importance of strengthening medico-legal education during undergraduate medical training. Future doctors need to understand not only clinical diagnosis and treatment but also informed consent, medical documentation, professional responsibilities, patient rights, and the legal implications of clinical decisions.

The study emphasizes that incorporating medical law into medical education can help students develop greater awareness and confidence when dealing with medico-legal situations.

Documentation and Standard Treatment Guidelines Matter

Proper documentation emerged as an important component of safe medical practice. The study found a statistically significant association between maintaining proper medical records and practice scores, with a p-value of 0.002.

Similarly, following standard treatment guidelines showed a statistically significant association with practice scores, with a p-value of 0.011. These findings reinforce the importance of maintaining accurate patient records and adhering to established clinical guidelines.

Written informed consent was another area examined by the researchers. The findings suggest that medical students need consistent exposure to ethical and medico-legal principles so that informed consent becomes an integral part of responsible clinical practice.

Creating a Culture of Patient Safety

Medical negligence can have serious consequences for patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare institutions. At the same time, excessive fear of litigation can influence clinical decision-making and potentially contribute to defensive medical practices.

Dr. Eabenson’s research supports the need for a balanced approach that focuses on patient safety, professional accountability, continuing education, appropriate documentation, standard operating procedures, and adequate support for healthcare professionals.

As medical education continues to evolve, future doctors must be prepared to recognize potential risks and understand their professional and medico-legal responsibilities.

A Step Toward Safer Healthcare

The study concludes that greater awareness of medical negligence, patient safety standards, and medico-legal responsibilities is essential among undergraduate medical students. Larger and multicentric studies involving medical professionals, nursing students, paramedical students, patients, and caregivers could provide broader insights into the issue.

Through his work in community medicine, medical education, and public health research, Dr. Shamin Eabenson continues to highlight issues that can influence the quality and safety of healthcare delivery. His research reinforces an important message: preventing medical negligence begins with better education, responsible clinical practice, effective communication, and a strong culture of patient safety.

For Professional Enquiries

Dr. Shamin Eabenson
MBBS, MD (Community Medicine)
Founder & Director – Eabenson Healthcare Private Limited

📞 Phone: +91 7550086817
 📧 Email: drshamin123@gmail.com
 🌐 Official Website: https://eabensonhealthcare.com/
 🔗 LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shamin-eabenson-1a55811b3/