The Medical Protection Society Welcomes The Relaunch Of Being Open

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Article Date: 23 Nov 2009 - 3:00 PST

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Today MPS welcomes the relaunch of the National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) Being Open policy.

We have long supported and advised members to be open with patients about their mistakes. Being Open encourages healthcare professionals to acknowledge to patients when something has gone wrong, say sorry, explain what happened and what will happen next.

In a recent survey that MPS did of 700 doctors we found that 90% of respondents said they believe patients are less likely to sue after being the victim of a mistake if they receive an apology and explanation of the error.

However, doctors have concerns about the legal and disciplinary consequences of being open and this is reflected in our survey, that found only two thirds (68%) of doctors are willing to be open with patients when something goes wrong.

Dr Stephanie Bown , Director of Policy and Communications at MPS said: "As a longstanding advocate of openness in healthcare, MPS is pleased to once again support the NPSA's Being Open. Time and time again surveys tell us that most patients who make complaints about medical errors just want to understand what happened and why. Anyone can make mistakes and admitting them is morally ethically and professionally the right thing to do.

"An environment of openness is one where adverse events and near misses are openly identified. In our experience, a significant proportion of adverse incidents are avoidable and it has been proven that the underlying cause of the majority of adverse incidents in medicine is either systems failure, or a combination of systems failure and individual error. Therefore, adverse event reporting is central to improving patient safety as it provides the opportunity to learn how to prevent the same thing happening again."

Dr Bown added: "There is debate about how openness in the NHS should be delivered, with some supporting the introduction of legislation with punitive measures to encourage openness. MPS strongly believe that a change in culture would be the most effective way to improve openness in healthcare. To underpin a culture change, ongoing education and training should be given to support healthcare professionals to effectively participate in open discussions. Being open with patients requires a change in attitudes, values and behaviours, not central government or management diktat."

Notes

- The survey of 700 medical professionals was conducted in August/September 2008 and concluded in early September.

Source
The Medical Protection Society