HCA 675 What are the risks of revealing mistakes in an open culture, as a way of being transparent with patients and families?

A history of concern exists when revealing medical errors to patients related to liability, financial, and reputational. However, overall most agree that it is an ethical obligation to disclose medical errors to patients Moffatt-Bruce, Ferdinand & Fann, 2016). Financial and reputational concerns stem from the belief that if error is disclosed the public will become aware, ruining the reputation, then clinical volumes will decline negatively affecting the financial aspect. Hospital leaders worry that liability cost will rise due to error disclosure (Mofatt-Bruce, et al., 2016). Which I believe would be true if the disclosure is not handled in the appropriate manner.

Organizations that choose to reduce risk through addressing error in order to better systems can be challenging. People may continue to see these errors as individual failure instead of relating it to the system (Mofatt-Bruce, et al., 2016). This is where the importance of a just culture within the system proves beneficial. That the reporting of human error will not lead to consequences of punishment (Mofatt-Bruce, et al., 2016). This will lead to improvement in process creating a safer environment. “Organizations may benefit from involving patients and surgeons in a structured communication process around disclosure, thereby addressing their concerns in real time. Without these steps, transparency efforts and risk mitigation may backfire if clinicians avoid discussion for fear of feeling exposed or if patients and families become aggravated by a perceived lack of information exchange” (Mofatt-Bruce, et al., 2016, para.5). The disclosure of errors may “result in substantial reduction in medical malpractice lawsuits, lower litigation costs, and a more safety conscious environment” (Mofatt-Bruce, et al., 2016, para. 9). Through the communication-and-resolution program, health systems and liability insurers are supporting the disclosure of errors in order to proactively seek a resolution. During this transparency with the patient, an apology is provided and compensation if appropriate (Mofatt-Bruce, et al., 2016).

References

Moffatt-Bruce, S., Ferdinand, F. & Fann, J. (2016). Patient safety: disclosure of medical errors and risk mitigation. Retrieved from https://www.sts.org/sites/default/files/documents/patient_safety/DisclosureofMedicalErrors.pdf

Hello Jodie, thank you for a great discussion on the issues surrounding error disclosure. Indeed, the financial, reputational, and liability aspects are fundamental concerns associated with medical error disclosures. Numerous medical professionals are afraid of revealing errors since it may expose them to reputational damage and sometimes lawsuits from upset patients and their families. Moreover, the revelation of such errors may negatively impact the profile of a hospital thus reducing patronage, hence the reason why some hospitals discourage the practice (Moffatt-Bruce, Ferdinand, & Fann, 2016). However, concealing mistakes and errors also has certain associated risks. One of the most sever risks entails predisposing the hospital and even a physician to lawsuits as this contravenes certain ethical obligations.

HCA 675 What are the risks of revealing mistakes in an open culture, as a way of being transparent with patients and families

References

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The risk of revealing mistakes is to maintain an open culture to recognize safety challenges to not blame, shame or punish a health care provider. About 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some harm a cost of 20 billion a year and 100,000 have been by people dying (Rodziewicz, Hipskind, 2019) with these number of deaths can lead an organization of not proving quality care. If provider in an organization that has been on high alert due to medical error and does not communicate with a patient this can cause distress, open to a lawsuit or shut down the facility. Having an open culture with families and a patient can provide information regarding their care and also have a patient involved with their care plan and discuss the treatment plan with everyone on the team to prevent errors.

Reference:

Rodziewicz, T. L., & Hipskind, J. E. (2019). Medical error prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.

Thank you for making a very direct contribution concerning the matter at hand. The risks associated with nondisclosure of medical errors are many. Several hospitals have been sued upon the revelation that they concealed medical errors. Moreover, such hospitals may lose the good will of consumers since it would appear they might be endangering patient lives without putting measures in place to rectify them (Rodziewicz & Hipskind, 2019). However, the revelation of such mistakes as demanded in a just culture also has certain disadvantages. The health care professional may fear that revealing medical errors may jeopardize their reputation and work in a culture where such is not supported. Furthermore, the revelation of medical errors also has the potential to impact patient satisfaction hence quality parameters of a facility.

References

Rodziewicz, T. L., & Hipskind, J. E. (2019). Medical error prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.

HCA 675 What are the risks of revealing mistakes in an open culture, as a way of being transparent with patients and families?