New standards, new dilemmas--reflections on managing medical mistakes

Bioethics Forum. 2001;17(2):19-25.

Abstract

This article describes one hospital's development of a proactive, patient centered program, which emphasizes total honesty in dealing with all aspects of patient care. This process includes the full and timely disclosure of errors which affect the patient's health and well being. The article describes the process by which the medical facility identifies errors and works with healthcare providers to arrive at a consensus on the management of these errors. Included is a step by step analysis of how disclosure can be successfully accomplished.

MeSH terms

  • Disclosure*
  • Ethics, Institutional
  • Hospital Administration*
  • Humans
  • Medical Errors / prevention & control*
  • Organizational Policy