error disclosure

error disclosure

Reporting to a patient that a mistake was made in the provision of his or her health care. It is a practice that is widely advocated by bioethicists but generally eschewed by practitioners because of fears of litigation or investigation. When surveyed, patients report wanting full disclosure of any errors made during their treatment. They prefer to hear how the error occurred, and how similar errors can be prevented. Finally, most patients want their practitioners to apologize or express regret about their errors.

Laws to encourage health care providers to disclose errors are known colloquially as “apology laws.” These laws encourage expressions of regret by exempting statements made in apology from legal action or liability.