Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Patient Experience - June 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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education. A facility-specific apology and disclosure program is much different than a surgeon making a decision to apologize on his own. In the future, we might see more legislative action to encourage facili- ties to create these types of programs. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has a "CANDOR" toolkit (osmag.net/A7JTjd) that serves as a guide for what to do after an adverse event. It may provide a good starting point for states and facilities that are looking to go beyond their apology laws. The hardest word I'm not writing about whether you should apologize from an ethical per- spective. If you've made a mistake that affects a patient and their fami- ly, you should expect some consequences. The moral component of a medical apology is a whole other question to consider. But from a legal perspective, if you don't have any training, you should be careful and know the risks. Even in states with apology laws, a poorly worded "I'm sorry" can have serious consequences. After all this time, we've learned a simple "sorry" will not make a medical mistake go away. OSM Dr. McMichael (bmcmichael@law.ua.edu) is an assistant professor at the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law in Tuscaloosa, Ala. J U N E 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 0 1 Here's what patients are look- ing for when you disclose mis- takes in their care: 1. Disclosure of all harmful errors 2. An explanation as to why the error occurred 3. How the error's effects will be minimized 4. Steps the physician (and organization) will take to pre- vent recurrences SOURCE: Agency for Healthcare Research What Patients Want to Hear SORRY TIME

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