Disclosure and Apology Guidance from Patient Safety Groups

​Physicians may be interested in an article discussing best practices for preparing for disclosure conversations and mitigating liability concerns. The article, published in the June 2014 ACP Internist, provides recommendations based on guidelines from three organizations involved in quality and patient safety, including the National Quality Forum. According to the article, during an error disclosure, "patients want to hear an explicit statement that an error occurred, what happened and the implications for their health, why it happened, and how recurrences will be prevented in the future for themselves and other patients." The article also discusses steps in the disclosure process and provides guidance on disclosing errors made by other clinicians.