Speaking Openly and Using CANDOR Is a Key to Communication

​In order to help providers facilitate communication when unexpected error leads to patient harm, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released a new toolkit containing PowerPoint slides, videos, and other tools. The toolkit uses an AHRQ-developed resolution process known as Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR), which was tested at 14 U.S. hospitals after being developed using input gleaned from the Patient Safety and Medical Liability grant initiative launched in 2009. While the tools were tested in hospitals, the content of the tools applies to ambulatory care settings as well. The hope, AHRQ said, is that CANDOR can replace traditional "deny-and-defend" strategies, which avoid communication and admission of fault from providers. The toolkit is made up of eight modules. The first is an overview of the CANDOR process.