Medical errors happen, and people cannot avoid them because of different reasons. Instead of thinking why something bad or wrong happens, it is necessary to understand how to inform people about a medical error and how to get prepared for a medical error disclosure. There are many Dos and Don’ts for healthcare workers that have to be memorized:
- Do not try to avoid conversations with patients and family members because they have a right to know what happens and why;
- Underline the importance of initial discussions with team members, supervisors, and other medical workers;
- Consider the role of team support and coaching and the necessity to exchange experiences;
- Find a private location to discuss the situation and the possible development of the conversation with patients and their family members;
- Focus on communication and the necessity to describe a situation;
- Be present for patients and family members and ready to help them any time;
- Be ready to cope with emotions before a conversation with patients and family members because it is normal to have fears, shame, doubts, and concerns about what has already happened, but it is unnecessary to make them aware of such concerns;
- Avoid isolation and self-punishment because mistakes could happen and it is obligatory to solve them but not to suffer from them;
- Don’t blame others;
- Don’t try to control others’ reactions;
- Stay confident, supportive, and transparent during conversations with patients and their family members;
- Look in the eye because one-level eye contact promotes the feeling of trust and care;
- State clear facts to make sure people understand the essence of the situation;
- Inform that professional doctors and other experts are ready to help;
- Don’t use jargon or too complicated medical terms that could confuse patients or family members just in order to cover the mistake made;
- Remember about empathy and say “I am sorry for…” but never ask for forgiveness because patients and their family members are free to make their own conclusions and decisions;
- Provide patients and family members with time to think, evaluate the situation, make conclusion, and express their emotions;
- Prompt for questions because sometimes patients and their family members do not know what to ask or expect from the current situation;
- Don’t speculate during conversations with family members;
- Ask for questions and demonstrate readiness to help;
- Don’t panic in case some answers are hard to give because it is normal for a doctor not to know something;
- Develop a sense of trust with patients, family members, and medical workers.
All these ideas and suggestion could help a person to be ready to develop a well-performed disclosure of a medical error. People have to understand that there is a human factor in all situations. Mistakes could happen, and fears and shame could be developed. Self-pity should be changed for empathy and professionalism. Doubts have to be removed. Besides, it is necessary to remember that empathy is the key in medical error disclosures because patients and family members could be angry, disappointed, and frustrated, but they should see that doctors regret and are eager to correct their mistakes. Finally, it is important to provide patient and family members with facts and hope that everything could be changed and improved with time. The development of trustful relations with patients is one of the goals for medical workers in a medical error disclosure.