Medical liability reform and patient safety are key issues being faced by the federal government. In the age of healthcare reform, debates and open discussion on these critical issues have come to the forefront. One such element that is receiving much attention is the full disclosure of medical errors. A hallmark of full disclosure is open and honest communication among patients, families, and providers in the aftermath of a patient safety incident. While it is generally accepted that """"""""full disclosure"""""""" benefits patients, families, and healthcare providers and systems, the widespread adoption of full disclosure has yet to occur. Many in the medical-legal and medical liability arenas still contend that admitting mistakes and making swift restitution following a patient safety incident will inflate costs, open oneself up to liability, and astronomically increase an institution's risk and resulting costs. Thus, we are requesting support from the AHRQ to fund a workshop, bringing together stakeholders from medicine, nursing, public health and health administration, allied health professions, government, law, insurance companies (both personal health insurers and medical malpractice insurance carriers), and patient advocates with faculty and students/trainees to discuss, explore, and develop an innovative, immersive curriculum focused on open and honest communication with patients and families following a patient safety incident (medical error).
The specific aims of the workshop include: (1) To exchange information and views regarding medical errors, full disclosure, and open and honest communication following a patient safety incident among a diverse group of professionals involved in medical liability, organizational leadership, and healthcare practice;(2) To explore and/or clarify pertinent information (facts and fallacy) related to the concept of full disclosure following a patient safety incident or medical error;(3) To share experiences related to medical errors, full disclosure, and open and honest communication following a patient safety incident;(4) To gain knowledge on the current models of open and honest communication in practice today and explore the barriers and facilitators of adoption for each of the professions identified;(5) To explore the relationship of organization culture in facilitating the development of such models of open and honest communication in practice, and methods of creating open organization cultures;(6) To develop an innovative curriculum for an intensive immersion in team-oriented open and honest communication between patients, families and caregivers;(7) To disseminate the outcomes of the workshop, making the tools and toolkits available within the public domain. Bringing these stakeholders together to jointly build a comprehensive curriculum is an important first step in ensuring a more widespread adoption of policies for open and honest communication with patients and families following a patient safety incident. Adoption of these policies should lead to improved patient safety and quality healthcare over the long-term.
Medical liability reform and patient safety are key issues being faced by the federal government. Open and honest communication among patients, families and providers in the aftermath of a patient safety incident is receiving attention due to its potential ability to improve patient safety and reduce medical liability, while benefiting patients who are harmed. A workshop among key stakeholders, faculty, and students to develop a comprehensive curriculum aimed at overcoming gaps in knowledge about """"""""full disclosure"""""""" on the is required in order to improve widespread adoption of disclosure policies.
