Saying “Sorry” – Helpful, Not Harmful.
Adverse medical outcomes, preventable or otherwise are a reality of medical care. Most importantly, adverse events impact patients – but they also impact healthcare practitioners.
Disclosing information about adverse events has benefits for the patient and the hospital staff and it can often strengthen the patient doctor relationship and promotes trust. Trust is paramount in all workplaces. After an adverse outcome, patients expect and want timely and full disclosure of the event. Acknowledgement of responsibility, understanding of what happened, expressions of sympathy and a discussion of what is being done to prevent re-occurrence.
