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Cover image of Talking with Patients and Families about Medical Error
Cover image of Talking with Patients and Families about Medical Error
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Talking with Patients and Families about Medical Error

A Guide for Education and Practice

Robert D. Truog, M.D., David M. Browning, M.S.W., B.C.D., F.T., Judith A. Johnson, J.D., and Thomas H. Gallagher, M.D.
foreword by Lucian L. Leape, M.D.
Prepared in Cooperation with The Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions, Inc.

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More than a million patient safety incidents occur every year, and medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Illuminating the experiences of those affected by medical error—patients, their loved ones, and physicians and other medical professionals—Talking with Patients and Families about Medical Error delves deeply into the challenges of communicating honestly and openly about mistakes in medical practice.
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Based on guidelines from the Institute for Professional and Ethical Practice and the authors' own experiences, the practice-based approaches outlined here...

More than a million patient safety incidents occur every year, and medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Illuminating the experiences of those affected by medical error—patients, their loved ones, and physicians and other medical professionals—Talking with Patients and Families about Medical Error delves deeply into the challenges of communicating honestly and openly about mistakes in medical practice.
cc
Based on guidelines from the Institute for Professional and Ethical Practice and the authors' own experiences, the practice-based approaches outlined here offer concrete guidance on

• initiating discussions
• dealing professionally and compassionately with patients' reactions
• who should be included in the conversation
• what information should be documented in the medical record
• how to respond to questions about financial compensation

Aimed at promoting resolution and healing, this book stresses the importance of clear, empathetic communication that will improve clinical and organizational responses to medical missteps and mismanagement. It emphasizes five features of the physician-patient relationship deserving of special attention: transparency, respect, accountability, continuity, and kindness (TRACK). Narrative examples of common situations demonstrate how conversations about medical error can lead to healing.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
200
ISBN
9780801898044
Illustration Description
5 line drawings
Table of Contents

Foreword, by Lucian L. Leape, M.D.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Medical Error through the Eyes of Clinicians, Patients, and Families
2. What Is a Medical Error?
3. A Brief Overview of the Patient Safety

Foreword, by Lucian L. Leape, M.D.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Medical Error through the Eyes of Clinicians, Patients, and Families
2. What Is a Medical Error?
3. A Brief Overview of the Patient Safety Movement
4. Communicating about Adverse Events and Medical Error
5. Supporting Clinicians in Disclosure: The Coaching Model
6. Practice-Based Learning for Coaches and Clinicians
7. Practical Guidelines for Disclosure
8. Learning through Enacting
9. The Broad Spectrum of Adverse Events and Medical Error
10. Organizational Strategies for Improving Disclosure Practice
11. Future Directions and Closing Thoughts
Appendix: Practical Guidelines for Disclosure
Annotated Bibliography of Key Works
References
Index

Author Bios
Robert D. Truog, M.D.
Featured Contributor

Robert D. Truog, M.D.

Robert D. Truog, M.D., is a professor of medical ethics, anaesthesiology, and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a senior associate in Critical Care Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston.
Featured Contributor

David M. Browning M.S.W., B.C.D., F.T.

David M. Browning, M.S.W., B.C.D., F.T., is a senior scholar at the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice at Children's Hospital Boston and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School.
Featured Contributor

Judith A. Johnson, J.D.

Judith A. Johnson, J.D., is an attorney, a clinical ethicist at Children's Hospital Boston, and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School.
Featured Contributor

Thomas H. Gallagher, M.D.

Thomas H. Gallagher, M.D., is a general internist and an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.