Medical narcissism is a term coined by John Banja in his book, Medical Errors and Medical Narcissism.
Banja defines "medical narcissism" as the need of health professionals to preserve their self-esteem leading to the compromise of error disclosure to patients.
In the book he explores the psychological, ethical and legal effects of medical errors and the extent to which a need to constantly assert their competence can cause otherwise capable, and even exceptional, professionals to fall into narcissistic traps.
He claims that:
...most health professionals (in fact, most professionals of any ilk) work on cultivating a self that exudes authority, control, knowledge, competence and respectability. It's the narcissist in us all—we dread appearing stupid or incompetent.
References
- Banja, John, Medical Errors and Medical Narcissism, 2005
- Banja, John, (as observed by Eric Rangus) John Banja: Interview with the clinical ethicist