Communication between hospitals and patients after a medical error is often lacking, but providers aim to make the process more transparent with help from federal authorities, according to a Kaiser Health News story via USA Today.
Many hospitals resort to the "deny and defend" strategy, one that rarely gives patients or doctors closure or improves patient safety. So in May, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality created an online toolkit to eliminate the "wall of silence" and culture of secrecy that is typical when a medical error occurs.
But major hospitals also have developed role-playing and simulation programs to improve the resolution process, according to the article. For example, MedStar Health, one of the top providers in the Maryland and District of Columbia areas, has established a “Go Team” of physicians who go through training involving role-playing scenarios. In addition, the publication notes that Johns Hopkins now requires second-year medical students to receiving training on how to disclose adverse events to patients, and numerous teaching hospitals within the Harvard system have adopted programs along the same lines.
Programs have taken off at other hospitals as well, including Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California, and Springfield, Massachusetts’ Baystate Medical Center, FierceHealthcare previously reported.
MedStar decided to address the issue after David Mayer, vice president of quality and safety, joined the organization. Mayor previously worked at the University of Illinois Institute for Patient Safety Excellence, which began to tackle the issue after his personal experience with a tense atmosphere between doctors and patients who needed more information than they were getting.
“We felt horrible that we couldn’t openly talk to patients and families … our attorneys would tell us we can’t do that because we’re going to give them all the information that will cause us to lose a lawsuit,” Mayer KHN. “There were no winners.”
The new transparent, open atmosphere has helped physicians learn from their mistakes and improve performance. In fact, Mayer said, MedStar Health has had a 60 percent reduction in serious safety events in the past four years since implementing the program.
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