It is important to look beyond the "trial" headlines and take a wider view of this phenomenon. In any trial, there must be at least a complainant, whether an individual, organisation or the state. The phenomenon of the "media trail" could be a pointer to a wider sense of patients' dissatisfaction with the care provided to them, coupled with a nebulous mechanism for seeking redress. The media becomes a ready vehicle for conveying their grievances or lack of satisfaction with the care provided to the patients.
Understand what "satisfaction" means to your patient. Healthcare workers, especially physicians, often believe erroneously that "satisfaction" means successful medical treatment. While a good clinical outcome is usually the goal of medical intervention, using it as the only measure of patient satisfaction is to be steeped in the "end justifies the means" mindset. However, patients are different, with disparate values and dispositions. Satisfaction with patients entails the process, the procedure, and the outcome. To attain such a state of fusion of expectations, physicians may need to go back in time to the timeless counsel of Hippocrates: "It is more important to know the person than the disease the person has." Simple gestures such as calling the patients by their names, turning up to clinic schedules on time, taking into account patients' circumstances and aligning care, as much as possible, to their peculiar conditions, exploring cost-effective options in the best interest of the patient, etc. In such patient-centred care, the media would scarcely have any foothold in the doctor-patient relationship.
Have a functional conflict resolution mechanism. Discord is inevitable in any human interaction or transaction of any sort. How we resolve the discordance matters a lot. It is particularly relevant in the context of healthcare delivery. How many hospitals or health facilities have "complaints and suggestion boxes" that are regularly reviewed by a dedicated staff as part of total quality management with a robust feedback loop that gives affected patients or their families the confidence that their concerns are addressed? How many health institutions include in their initial contact with patients some information about how complaints could be channelled, including details of the office of an ombudsman to contact? Often patients get lost in the maze of regular hospital operations, and when they have some misgivings about the care they are receiving or the conduct of their healthcare provider, they usually don't know who to turn to for redress. It is a loophole that may be exploited by extraneous interests.
Media outreach. The media (both organised and social media) is a veritable mode for health education, prevention, and promotion. It will serve the greater public good for medical practitioners to reach out to the organised media on relevant aspects of healthcare services and peculiar features, including ethical obligations, in the care of patients. It'll also be relevant for media houses to have in-house medical correspondents, who are qualified medical practitioners, on part-time or full-time engagement, to serve as a clearing house for health-related issues and provide informed reporting on such matters. Furthermore, medical practitioners and health facilities should maintain an active social media presence for health information and public enlightenment. Physicians should find their place and voice in that space so that third parties do not control the narrative on health-related matters. A proactive approach is required.
Healthcare and media practitioners can work as partners in the best interest of patients. Trials should be reserved for the courts and related statutory authorities.
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