Medical error disclosure - A canadian perspective in improving quality of health care

Abstract

Disclosure of an adverse event is an important element in managing the consequences of a medical error. The objectives of this study was to review and compare the disclosure policies implemented by individual health care authorities and hospitals in western Canada. The evaluation of the policies of individual health authorities was carried out based on the inclusion of various guidelines including avoidance of blame; support to the staff; an apology or expression of regret; avoidance of speculation; some form of patient support; and education/training to health care workers. The complexities of medical error disclosure to patients present ideal opportunities for medical educators to probe how learners are balancing the ethical complexities involved in error disclosure with other related fields. We suggest that the disclosure policies can provide framework and guidelines for appropriate disclosure that can lead to practices that are more transparent.