Talking with Patients and Families after Medical Errors: Discussion of Cases
Learning Objectives
Apply ethical principles of transparency, honesty, and compassion in apology and disclosure after adverse events
Distinguish event‑based disclosure from outcome‑based disclosure
Analyze how uncertainty, causality, and timing affect disclosure decisions
Identify appropriate roles of attendings, nurses, trainees, and teams in disclosure conversations
Evaluate system‑level and cultural factors influencing disclosure practices across institutions
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
Linda Zaccagnini, RN, MSN, NNP
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner | Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
Claire (Hickey) Gramza, MSN, CRNA
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Division of Perioperative Anesthesia | Boston Children's Hospital
Katherine Ratzan Peeler, MD
Attending Physician, Division of Medical Critical Care | Boston Children's Hospital
Instructor of Pediatrics | Harvard Medical School
Ben D. Albert, MD
Associate in Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine | Boston Children's Hospital
Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia | Harvard Medical School
Citation
Truog R, Zaccagnini L, Hickey C, Peeler K, Albert B, DelSignore L, Burns JP. Talking with Patients and Families After Medical Errors: Discussion of Cases. 7/2016. Online Video. OPENPediatrics. https://learn.openpediatrics.org/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/3174/talking-with-patients-and-families-after-medical-errors-discussion-of-cases.