open disclosure

open disclosure

The admission by a doctor or other health professional to a patient and/or his or her family that the doctor committed a medical mistake. Under open disclosure, the doctor provides relevant information about the event with apologies, explanations and offer to compensate them for their losses. Open disclosure has been increasingly adopted by doctors, hospitals and other stakeholders in healthcare in both the UK and US, as it has been shown to reduce malpractice lawsuits.