Transparency in Communication
Communication between clinicians and patients in the event of an error has long been a controversial subject. Routinely, clinicians have been advised to avoid admitting responsibility in the event of an error in fear of legal actions. In a perfect situation, there would be complete transparency of all errors and near misses between patients, clinicians, and reporting agencies (Paterick et. al, 2009). The government enacted the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005, Public Law 109-41, in an effort to encourage confidential and voluntary reporting of adverse events that effect patientʼs safety (AHRQ, 2012). Increasing transparency and reporting errors can enable their causes to be identified and can lead to reduced medical errors in the future.
References:
Paterick, Z., Paterick, B., Waterhouse, B., and Paterick, T. (2009). The Challenges to
Transparency in Reporting Medical Errors. Journal of Patient Safety, 5(4), 205-209.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2012). http://www.ahrq.gov/