My parents are both doctors. I've grown up seeing how heavy this lays on them. If my father loses a patient he's out of it for days. When I used to live at home I'd find my mom sitting at the kitchen table researching at 3am because she worried about a patient so much. My grandfather who used to be a doctor as well is now demented, and sometimes starts crying out of nowhere for the guilt of not having been able to restore a child's eyesight more than 40 years ago. I know my mom still has nightmares about the first loss of a patient. There are crap doctors, of course there are, but it's an incredibly hard job to do as well. I know for sure I wouldn't be able to handle it, ever.

I am an ER physician and I do remember... Dr Goldman, thank you so much for being honest and real. We all do mistakes but we live with it alone, with no support and no help. This is so much weight on our shoulders. You made me feel better and give me strenght to do my job with even more humanism and love. People need me to treat them, even if I am not perfect. But I DO CARE. Your message is important and worth teaching.

One of the best Talks I have ever seen. You can feel his heart telling us he regrets all the mistakes he ever made. He deserves respect for beeing so brave. I almost cried at the end when he sad, I Do Remember.

I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out after making my first ever mistake with potential consequences on others at my first ever job after graduating. I've never felt such a sense of shame and anger towards myself and even though i know my colleagues might have put a patch on it, and i know I'm knew and I'm still learning.....it feels soul crushing. I'm lucky enough to work with understanding and patient people, but goddamnit. Thank for saying all this.

I first watched this video back in my second or third year of medical school. I remember feeling strongly about it at the time and recommended it to friends, those in healthcare and those not; it's just a generally good message to share about the unmentioned side of healthcare. I come back to this video now and then. Here I am now in my 5th year as a doctor and my 2nd in emergency medicine and my feelings about this talk make far more sense to me now having experienced them first hand. In healthcare you're surrounded by the strive and ideal for perfection - of course we all want the very best for our patients and it's why we dedicate our lives to the profession. But mistakes happen, we are all imperfect humans; and those mistakes have varying consequences. How a healthcare professional and their colleagues respond to these mistakes is also equally varying. I distinctly recall my first "doozy" of a prescribing error resulting in a patient going to the high dependency unit. I remember getting a very sarcastic evening handover about her that "someone thought it was a good idea to prescribe x and y" and I clearly remember thinking to myself "wow, what clown would do that?". It wasn't until the next day on ward rounds that I recognised my handwriting and signature on the prescription, and my mistake became apparent and I (a large man in his late 20s) cried openly in front of my colleagues. I later came clean to the patient and her family, and apologised to her and them. They could not have been more supportive, and I'm forever grateful to them for that act of kindness. The patient improved and ended up getting discharged, healthy, a couple of days later. Sadly, the support I received from my colleagues and supervisors at the time was mainly joking and dismissive. There's been a couple more (I'm glad to say different) mistakes sense. There's probably countless more mistakes that I'm not aware of. I'm working my hardest to be the best doctor that I can and I'm sorry for the mistakes I have made and will make. I'm extremely grateful that I'm now surrounded by colleagues who recognise and acknowledge their own and each other's mistakes, and support others through that process. We are humans and we make mistakes. Sometimes people come to harm because of those mistakes. Recognising, learning from, and creating a system with checks in place to minimise those mistakes is all we can do to prevent them in future. The first step is acknowledging them. We need more healthcare professionals like Dr Goldman. Thanks Brian.

What made the difference for me, was my surgeon, who made a near fatal error during surgery, which she missed, apologized to me. She was thoughtful, caring, explained her mistake and how it happened, and that it became a teaching moment for all the surgeons in the practice. I appreciated her honesty that when I was having a major medical crisis, I called her even though it wasn’t her area of expertise, and she sorted out my medical records, got me to the correct physicians and surgeons. Then without me knowing, I was in the operating room talking with my new surgeon and she said they had a surprise for me, my first surgeon was there, she made sure to be there for me. She put her hands around my face as I drifted into sleep and said she’d always take care of me. Mistakes happen, it’s how you treat the person or their family after the mistake.

"Let's talk about our medical mistakes and learn together."-- what a wonderful message to all the human doctors and the public.

Being a med student myself, this is what terrifies me. Failing a test in medschool, only affects my grades, but I know later if I do make it and graduate, my mistakes and failures could cost a person's life. Even worse, a person who trusted me with his/her life. It terrifies me every night. It makes me wanna quit med. But this message is absolutely right, if only the medical community would be more accepting and adaptive to honest mistakes, so many others would learn from it, it would be advantageous to everyone especially the patients. We are human, we all know for a fact that we are not perfect, mistakes are inevitable.

Thank you Dr. Goldman. My son is an IM resident in Vancouver and my daughter an ER trauma nurse. both have watched your video and it has helped them tremendously. Thank you for sharing your heart.

This is called courage..

This man is one of the bravest people in the world. I would be honored to have such a caring and wise person as my doctor.

I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief.you've freed me from the Shame iv been carrying this past week.I made mistake.I'm human .I'm sorry.and iv learned from it.wow.thank you

Dr. Goldman Many health care workers live with fear or shame knowing they made a mistake saying I'm sorry is never easy for anyone. Thank you for this video. God bless.

That takes guts, I'm very proud of you Dr! Unfortunately this takes place in all aspects of life not only in medicine (which I am as well engaged in) and it is extremely difficult to deal with. ♡ I am only a human being and I make mistakes and I'm sorry for that.. and I'll end with these three words " I DO REMEMBER" 👍

Those last 3 words really did it for me. The value of mistakes has been underestimated...

If can't tell you how much I feel you. I'm an emergency physician in India and sometime the days and the work seem so overwhelming I feel like I'm gonna crack. I mean the whole sleep deprivation and the emotional roller coaster that one has to go through. Everyday after my shift I pray I didn't make a mistake. It's a gnawing unnerving feeling. Over the days I've found myself becoming more rude and irritable. Around patients as well as family. Hope this passes over....

They should start every M&M conference with this video

Superb. I am a hospitalist in the US and have come back to this video a number of times over the years. I have also referred it to colleagues. Thank you Dr. Goldman for your transparency and candidness. We all, on the front lines of medicine, deal with mistakes. And we must continue to find ways to minimize their frequency. Thank you for your passion on this issue.

Beautifully honest! We sometimes forget doctors are human. I hope this talk helps more physicians open up.

It blows my mind to read some of these comments. Do people seriously think MD's are perfect and will never make a mistake? Seriously? I love this Doc and this is the second time in my life that I have ever heard a medical professional publicly admit to making a mistake. And to that I say BRAVO. I'd want him to be my Doc - not some liar who pretends to be perfect.

This is one of the most powerful TedTalks I've seen. If only more physicians were like Dr. Goldman.

I come back to this talk every year or so and it's impact is still amazing.

I am a patient healing and facing another potential surgery for a mistake claimed by a doctor. He is human and so am I. I don't want retribution. I want a grateful lesson learned, whatever it may be, learned from his end or mine. And I want to heal and to take care of my Loved ones. I don't want a scared surgeon becoming a dangerous one. I want a scared surgeon to become a wiser, better, and grateful one. Thank you Dr. Goldman.

Human beings are story tellers. We tell stories to help each other to prepare for possible future scenarios. To discourage this is the biggest mistake of all. I am completely with Brian on this. Great talk!

The one thing I hope all medical personnel remember is that you too are human, mistakes happen. We forget things. It's okay. How it effects you is so valid. How you feel is valid. Your story us valid. If you speak about it, others can learn with you. From you. Mad respect and appreciation to you all, it's not an easy job.

I really needed this message. (who's cutting onions in here?) his message about shame and coming to terms with our mistakes goes so much further than medicine. in all our personal lives we all fuck up big time from time to time, because of our shortcomings in character. being able to be honest with eachother about it is such a gift.

One of the best TED talks I've ever seen. I'm a fourth year medical student and every now and then a courageous physician like Brian Goldman tells us the most terrible mistakes he/she made so she won't repeat them. It really does make a difference.

With my mothers health issues, we have been bouncing around from doctor to doctor and i have experienced mistakes. Watching this convinces me that medical error is based on the pressure of the doctor to know everything and to NOT make mistakes. So, instead of looking at a case and communicating with the family doctor and neurologist every doctor is self contained within a bubble. The lack of communication within doctors themselves and the shame attached to not knowing is the key to everything.

I think that's something that we all need to keep in mind. Doctors are people just like us. In which means that they make mistakes, just like us. Doctors are human, not robots. And I think that is a huge issue in healthcare. Brian mentioned malpractice. If we didn't let people sue for stupid things, doctors wouldn't have to pay so much in malpractice insurance. And if that's the case, we could probably lower the cost of health care. I commend him for being able to speak up about the things he is not proud of in order to help others out there. Being a doctor is a tough job. The human body is so complex that I can understand why misdiagnosis can occur. But should doctors really be shamed for being human. I think Brian is doing a great job by breaking down those barriers and opening up communication pathways for other clinicians. I think if more doctors talked about their mistakes, there would be less mistakes because everyone could learn from each other. On top of that, I think doctors do make mistakes because so much is asked of them. Like I stated above, the human body is so complex. When a doctor only has a limited amount of time with a patient how are they really getting to know what that patient needs and what is really wrong with them. I think our current health care system does not help this situation. Doctors need to have the time to understand issues of patients because their 10 minutes is up and it is time to move onto the next one.

I have to admit, as someone whose lifelong dream has been to become a physician, his stories made my stomach turn inside out. Very very very powerful talk.

I love how lighthearted this video begins that kind of eases you into the idea. As a medical student, this is something that is constantly in the back of my mind. When I do poorly on an exam, I worry how that knowledge I didn’t remember could impact my future patients. I worry about my abilities to recognize the life threatening things that need to be recognized or patients will die. Even this feeling of shame that Dr. Goldman talks about is alive and well long before finishing medical school. The pressure to do well and succeed and check off every little thing to make yourself the most appealing applicant for residency carries immense pressure. When we don’t feel like we have lived up to these expectations myself, and many of my fellow medical students, feel weak and unworthy. The toxic culture of medicine begins so early on in our careers and is so engrained in our brains. This video is 9 years old and this culture of shame is still so present. I feel like my fellow students and I are much more open in discussing our shortcomings and struggles, but I will admit, we all pick and choose who we allow ourselves to look “weak” in front of because we know not all of our colleagues will be supportive and. Instead, will quickly become uncomfortable with the conversation. Dr. Goldman discusses “error-prone” medical professionals in the video and discusses sleep deprivation. Recently, this has become a big topic in relation to residency programs and the amount of hours interns and residents are allowed to work. I’ve read reports that discuss the dangers of driving after being awake for 24 hours, but it is not uncommon to work more than 24 hours with no sleep. Not only is this a danger to patients, but also the overall health of the physicians. The principle of non-maleficence in medicine needs to be the root of making this change. How can we be expected to make sound medical decisions, when we aren’t even fit to drive a car? How do we even begin to approach the problem of high physician suicide rates when we know this is the culture. We also know adequate sleep is crucial for mental health and critical thinking, but somehow doctors are expected to be better than that. If we want to decrease errors in medicine, it has to start from the beginning, not only with medical school, but culturally, changes need to occur across the board to lessen this feeling of shame and guilt, which will lead to better patient outcomes.

This was phenomenal. Truly worthy of the TED-title!

amazing talk, quite a message.

Excellent talk! Learning from mistakes is such a basic part of being human, it's almost frightening to think mistakes are buried to this extent because of shame.

One of the best and most desperately needed TED Talks of all time.

I support Brian Goldman's perspective on the acceptance of doctors making mistakes.

Deeply, greatly touching... i find this inspiring

Fantastic talk Dr. Goldman! That took a great deal of courage to do what you did. Absolutely commendable

Holy cow so freaking powerful. One of the best ted talks I've ever seen!!

Great presentation, Dr. Goldman

This is an awkward, surreal, yet still a great talk. One of the best talks I've seen in a long long time.

thank you Dr. for your truth. it is appreciated. bless you again....

Amazing talk.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

This is pure gold!

Excellent. Thank you Dr. Goldman for your honesty and willingness to be real and vulnerable about something so painful to talk about. Medical errors are the NUMBER ONE cause of death and disability in the United States (most people think it's cancer and heart attacks). This video should be required viewing for all practicing physicians and medical students. Standing ovation for you sir!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR WISDOM WITH US DR.GOLDMAN

Awesome speech!

This might be one of the best TED talks of all time.

I applaud you for your honesty and for listening to the small voice within. Everyone knew this anyway, it's nice to hear from a doctor. You and other doctors are only human. We all make mistakes. If all shared like you did, maybe we will make lesser. Bravo!!

My hat goes of to you sir. Much needed discussion.

best ted talk I've ever watched. we /should be able to talk about this.

Great talk, he makes great points. We need to acknowledge the potential for error, and this will allow us for medicine to progress.

Excellent I know and feel what he saying. I have been there before. Thanks a TON.

amazing i have chills...

Time to change the concept of complete denial of mistake to the acquaint of mistake and learn from it. I ADORE YOU DOCTOR BRIAN

thank you DR.

V. Nice talk, Dr. And one of the most needed, but non- addressed topic ever for Doctors. Thank you. Great talk.

Dr. Goldman should be honored for his honesty and for bringing up an important topic that is downplayed in medicine. The ethical element that I am mentioning is beneficence. Doctors are supposed to act in a manner that will provide the most upmost care to every one of his/her patient’s. To do so, a physician must kind, attentive, and doing “good.” Dr. Goldman recounts many times in his career that he did not practice beneficence because he made mistakes that were very much preventable. One story he brings up is when he sent home a patient that was feeling better after his treatment plan because he felt good about her recovery. As a resident, this physician was supposed to consult with his attending before signing off any discharge papers. In the same day, the patient came back to the ED after collapsing, went into shock, and died. I believe that in medicine, doctors are not trained to be beneficent, and this leads to a sense of arrogance. Instead of making it the goal of the physician to treat patients and open up beds via discharging them, we need to be thorough by making sure that the patient is fully stable. Dr. Goldman also brought up another point that I fully agree with, which is the idea of how to cope with emotions. Many doctors have made mistakes that have led to unwanted emotions. For most physicians, these emotions are brushed under the rug and uncomfortable to talk about in front of other healthcare providers. However, the healthcare system needs to do a better job at understanding how to cope with these emotions of guilt and frustration. By allowing physicians to heal from trauma mentally, then he/she can practice beneficence in an adequate manner. I also hated that when Dr. Goldman tried bringing this issue up to his colleagues at a party, they were dismissive and uncomfortable with the issue. If health care workers cannot work together to help each other overcome obstacles that is relatable, then that, to me, is unethical.

this talk is so important in medical culture.

Brilliantly presented.

Amazing speech! Bravo :)

Great talk! Thank you!

Amazing video, truly.

As a patient with chronic illnesses i found this very comforting. Mistakes doctors have made with my care seem a bit less hopeless now, and not systemic of the medical system. I realize doctors can and do make mistakes, especially in emergency medicine. That said, I would be more comfortable with a doctor who knows mistakes happen and approaches things with consults (as mentioned in the video, the two mistakes that he missed, but that other colleagues caught) than someone who just assumes they're right. I also think doctor/nurse accountability helps. Example: I was diagnosed with diabetes recently. I am obese with family history and you can check off every single risk factor and symptom of the disease on me except for losing weight. The doctor was dismissive and generally rude, first implying that I was just a hypochondriac and 'thought' I had something that I didn't really have, and then outright dismissing my case. I asked for a glucose test- I was shaking and sweating. He suggested wearing more deoderant for the maple syrup/fruity smell and walked out of the room before the nurse brought in the glucose monitor. I came in at 317. If it wasn't for the nurse, it wouldn't have been caught. I like having more than one seasoned health professional. Helps a lot.

Thank you Dr Goldman

wonderful speech. Mr Goldman needs to be congratulated.

I think this is very important for Brian to talk about this because I feel as if no doctors have ever really had the courage to talk about situations where they have actually failed. I thought it was interesting when he compared the medical doctors success rate to baseball, and a batting average. How baseball is a game of failure and how even with all this failure, they can still be looked at as being a great ball player with 40% failure. When it comes to doctors they feel as if they have to be perfect, rightfully so because they're dealing with human lives. The fact of the matter is that doctors make mistakes everyday but Brian is the man that has actually come out and say that these doctors fail to accept the fact that doctors make mistakes. I thought it was really interesting because when you think about it, even though errors happen everyday in the medical field, nobody talks about it, as if its just shoved under the rug and left to never be talked about. I think it is amazing how this story comes out and brings all those stories out from under the rug and reveals the fact that mistakes are inevitable. He says that if you take all the doctors out of the profession that make mistakes, well then there would be no doctors left. With the culture that we live in is defined as not being able to make a mistake, but he feels as if we need to redesign the culture as one that its okay to make mistakes. The fact that human beings run the system, and I think this is amazing because these mistakes will be made but we need to make more backups for these human errors. I appreciate this video because he is owning up to the fact that mistakes happen, but unlike a lot of doctors out there, he wants to make it so even though mistakes do happen, it will still be okay. Finally I was most moved by the way he ended the video to make sure the audience knew that he does, and will always remember the mistakes he has made in his career. This made me take a step back and think about the mistakes that I've made just in life, and realize that it will happen, but the type of person you are is determined how you accept those mistakes and bounce back from them.

Brian, I have complete respect for your honesty and courage you aspire in bringing up this crucial topic in healthcare. First, I would like to say physicians do make mistakes and it is inevitable because as human beings we are not perfect. Brian mentioned that physicians are not robots and every case is addressed differently because every patient is different. Although it’s aware that as human beings we make mistakes, it still makes us negligent for our actions. Being negligent is the absence of giving appropriate care to prevent harm to your patient. In Brian’s first mistake, he talks about how he sent his patient home without contacting his attending first. By doing this, he was not giving his patient the appropriate care. This action led to the death of his patient. Physicians may make mistakes but they are still being negligent. Negligence can be intentional and unintentional. Brian’s stories are obviously unintentional. He did not mean to look over symptoms or cause his patient to die. Doctor’s mistakes deal with the principle of nonmaleficence. The principle of nonmaleficence is an obligation we have to prevent causing harm to others. To conclude, yes mistakes are inevitable but be aware that for every mistake you were negligent either intentionally or unintentionally and that you are not fulfilling your obligation to your patient according to the principle of nonmaleficence.

Really a incredibly good talk.

I need to re listen to this, kinda fell asleep in the middle so I missed alot without noticing..

Damn i love this, humanity has to learn this in so many fields of life!

If I would be a doctor I`d support him totally and talk about my mistakes because it`s very important not to repeat the mistakes.

Very inspirational..

masterfully said. Beyond the weight and truth of the content, he makes one helluva speech!

On the other end of the spectrum; a problem is that patients expect doctors to never, ever make mistakes and are trigger happy at suing when a problem does arise. Their expectations of the medical staff treating them is excrutiating and easily leads to a culture of fear of openly acknowledging mistakes.

This should be the first lecture of medical school all around the world and I hope, one day, all doctors can discuss their mistakes with each other without feeling ashamed or fear of malpractice. I believe this could reduce burnout and increase level of satisfaction within the profession, this level is low at present throughout the world...

I got chills

Great talk.

Thank you so much. Honesty is a beautiful thing. I think if people in medicine could talk about mistakes it would also help some doctors not to be dismissive and listen to their patients. I have Lupus. When I had my first bad flair up, I went to a clinic and described my symptoms to the doctor there. He was an older man and I assumed that he had lots of experience. But his attitude was very dismissive and he said, “ It’s just an unusual flu, lots of it going around right now.” I didn’t know I had Lupus, but I knew it wasn’t the flu. I said to him, “ I don’t think so.” I understand that people make mistakes but it’s the dismissiveness attitude that is not ok. He didn’t even think about what I was telling him and that patronizing little smile made me mad. Patients can tell when a doctor is listening to them. The next day I was worse and went to a different clinic. Lupus is difficult to diagnosis. This doctor didn’t diagnose it either, but she listened to me and examined me. I could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking about it. She gave me a prescription for an inhaler (I had pain in my chest and shallow breathing). She said, “If it’s not better by tomorrow, make sure you come back.” I really appreciated the way she treated me.

@silimas I agree with you. The whole point of his presentation, is that everyone makes mistakes. His telling his own story, is for the purposes of getting the ball rolling, letting people know "we all make mistakes, here i'll talk about mine first'. Honestly, who the hell would choose that method of telling their mistakes "just to feel better"? Fricken' nobody, if they could help it, because mistakes are not something to be proud of, and we don't usually like talking about them (doctor or no).

Great TED talk.

Amazing talk👏👏

Great talk!!

Important subject. One that affects all doctors... thanks for sharing ❤️

Wow so courageous! Excellent

Powerful and moving. I completely agree, the culture of denial has troubled me for quite some time for a number of reasons. Partially because medical ethics explicitly teaches dishonesty, and I find that intrinsically and practically unethical. How can we expect doctors to learn not to make mistakes if we teach them to never admit of any? Or expect people to be able to forgive and move on with their lives either?

Great Talk...

This video brings closure and insight to not only to Doctors but also Nurses and Psychiatric Nurses. I am proud to have been able to view this video. Sometimes I feel there is alot of stigma from public about healthcare professionals being untrustworthy, irresponsible and just overall bad because of a mistake. For I understand the loss behind these mistakes. And its tragic. I am genuinely sorry that we make mistakes and it costs people their lives. But I genuinely ask in a clam and understanding way, please see our side. I just wanna genuinely ask... where is it in your profession where you have to make a decision and its someone's life? Nurses and Doctors have to make those decisions everyday. Mistakes are Ubiquitous unfortunately we will all make mistakes no matter what. But talking about them is crucial to support our emotional beings as individuals, families, Doctors And Nurses and to create knowledge that helps guide us to quality care

The way that Brian begins with relating baseball to the medical field. He relates by explaining batting averages and comparing it to a surgeon who will perform a procedure on someone. Brian states that he thought if he knew everything he would never make mistakes. He quickly learned that although he may have thought that, it is not possible. He uses an example of a case he had during his residency where he sent the patient home and that was his own mistake. The way that Brian explains the mistakes he made shows that he remembered this mistake forever. The thoughts shared by Brian are very influential because he explains that doctors are not supposed to make mistakes. I believe that Brian’s story can be related to Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics. Aristotle says that people will not be perfect all of the time, but they should strive for perfection. This statement relates exactly to the point that Brian is trying to come across; he is trying to prove that although doctors should not make mistakes, they will. The doctors strive for perfection, which in Aristotle’s point of view is exactly what they should be doing. Although Brian has made a few mistakes, he is striving for perfection and that is the end goal in Aristotle’s thoughts.

I am currently a resident in internal medicine. and this guy is right.

Достойное выступление, достойное признание!

what a legend, i just made my first mistake PGY1, family made me feel terrible and colleagues were not great. However, pt not harmed

Takes a lot of guts to to highlight the pervasive perfectionist culture of medical practice. Grateful for this talk.

thank you Doctor you were excellent.

I am also internal medicine physician. 2 years ago in my emergency shift I saw a young female patient with dysphagia, I sent her to otorhinolaryngology and then she went home, same night she came back needed Endotracheal intubation and ventilation. She turned out to be a variant of Guillain Barre syndrome. Could not sleep for days.

Muy bueno, gracias!!

Thanks

that was really good.

I love this topic! It is something I have always stood behind; and will continue to do so! It amazes me just how cruel society can be towards authority figures (Police, Doctor, Lawyer, etc.) when it comes to them making mistakes. If Sally from down the street makes a mistake it is not as frowned upon if a Doctor mis-diagnoses a patient. Doctors are humans, just like everyone else. They make mistakes, and it happens. I love Goldman's perspective on it, and it took courage for him to own up to mistakes he has made. I am not saying that if a Doctor constantly makes mistakes that should not be made; then that is unacceptable. For example, there are stories in the news where Doctors will over prescribe medicines to make more money, and etc.; I will not stand behind that. However, it takes great courage as a Doctor to admit to your own mistakes. There was a statement in this article where he talked about how after a patient dies you will remember that name forever; and how he will remember that ladies name. While he was discussing that, it hit me, he knows he made a mistake, and is owning up to it. If only it was that easy for the rest of society to get it. Next time you or anyone else wants to get mad at a Doctor, take a step back and realize that everyone makes mistakes, we just need to live and learn from them.