Talking with Patients and Families after Adverse Events: What, When, and How?
Learning Objectives
Describe ethical principles guiding disclosure of preventable adverse events
Distinguish between expressions of empathy and formal apology in error disclosure
Identify when an adverse event meets the threshold for disclosure
Explain the “second victim” phenomenon and its impact on clinicians
Apply best practices for communicating facts without speculation after harm
Author(s)
Robert Truog, MD, MA
Director Emeritus | Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics
Frances Glessner Lee Distinguished Professor of Medical Ethics, Anaesthesia, and Pediatrics, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine | Harvard Medical School
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine | Boston Children's Hospital
Lisa DelSignore, MD
Associate Professor, Fellowship Program Director, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine | Yale School of Medicine
Jefferey Burns, MD, MPH
Assoc. Chief Medical Officer, Critical Care Services; Shapiro Chair in Critical Care Medicine, Division of Critical Care MedicineDirector, OPENPediatrics; Sr. Assoc. in Critical Care Medicine; Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Medicine | Boston Children's Hospital
Professor of Anesthesia | Harvard Medical School
Citation
Truog R, DelSignore L, Burns JP. Talking with Patients and Families after Adverse Events: What, When, and How?
4/2016. Online video. OPENPediatrics. https://learn.openpediatrics.org/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/3166/talking-with-patients-and-families-after-adverse-events-what-when-and-how.
Truog R, Wolbrink TA, Burns JP. Ethical Considerations in End-of-Life Care. 9/2013. Online Video. OPENPediatrics. https://learn.openpediatrics.org/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/3078/ethical-considerations-in-end-of-life-care.