Harm to Patients in Hospital Calls for Transparency

When unexpected events happen in the hospital, resulting in harm to a patient, having early and transparent conversations with patients and families is the key to getting to the best resolution, panelists said in a session at SHM Converge 2023. This process—especially the conversations with the families—is difficult, but having a system in place for handling it can make it more manageable, said Elizabeth Schulwolf, MD, MBA, FHM, chief medical officer at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, Austin; and Marsha Nichols, JD, a risk-management specialist at two Austin-area hospitals. “They are mostly unexpected, and so it’s just a very difficult dynamic to deal with from the beginning,” Ms. Nichols said. “And then when we start disclosing to the patient and family, physicians are naturally reluctant to do that because it’s a very difficult conversation to have and they may already be second-guessing everything that they’re doing with this patient and family.” Physicians tend to worry about embarrassment, damage to their reputations, and malpractice suits. But open communication actually reduces the risk of a lawsuit, she said. “This standardized process of being transparent with families soon after an event, and then following up with them once we’ve been able to investigate that, actually sort of mitigate that potential because we’ve created a bond and a relationship with that family, and they’re seeing the providers as human beings ...
Source: The Hospitalist - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Patient Care Patient Safety Source Type: research