Telling patients the truth.

Abstract

Letters Health AffairsVol. 22, No. 3 Telling Patients The TruthAlbert Wu and Peter Pronovost AffiliationsJohns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MarylandPUBLISHED:May/June 2003No Accesshttps://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.22.3.249AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextView PDFPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions View articleTOPICSAccess to carehealthaffHealth Aff (Millwood)Health AffairsHealth Aff0278-27151544-5208Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.Lamb RaeRadio New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand52003The authors respond:Both sets of letter writers are correct when they say that having a disclosure policy is not enough. However, from a journalist’s perspective, I contend that having a disclosure policy is an important step toward increasing public confidence. Such a policy also indicates the sort of leadership necessary to encourage physicians and others to “do the right thing” despite fears of being sued. While in the United States I visited hospitals that are implementing proactive disclosure policies. I found that these efforts are being led from the top by managers and physicians who, in the absence of hard data, are prepared to make a leap of faith that these initiatives will not hurt them. These were also hospitals where the culture was such that staff said they could safely report errors without fearing for their jobs. Albert Wu and Peter Pronovost also point out patients’ need for apology and explanation after a medical error. In talking with U.S. patients’ groups I was left without doubt that most of their anger stems from the way they had been treated after an adverse event rather than to the event itself. They said that if they had been treated openly and honestly from the start, they would have been less likely to sue. Loading Comments... Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DetailsExhibitsReferencesRelated Article MetricsCitations: Crossref 5 History Published online 1 May 2003 InformationCopyright 2003 by Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.PDF downloadCited ByPublic reporting: Will this help inform what patients and families need to know?The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol. 153, No. 6Practitioner Summary of Can Auditors Reduce Negligence Verdicts? An Examination of Remedial Tactics1 August 2012 | Current Issues in Auditing, Vol. 6, No. 2The Use of Remedial Tactics in Negligence LitigationSSRN Electronic JournalDisclosure of Medical Errors: Ethical Considerations for the Development of a Facility Policy and Organizational Culture Change13 August 2016 | Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, Vol. 6, No. 2Safety in training and learning in the intensive care unitCritical Care Clinics, Vol. 21, No. 1