Disclosure of medical error: is it worth the risk?

Introduction: The climate within the United States is rapidly changing with respect to patient and family knowledge of medical error and their expectations of the events that should occur after an error.

Objective: This article examines the history and changing tide of medical error disclosure, reviews the limited but growing body of literature surrounding patient and physician attitudes toward disclosing and discussing medical error, makes suggestions on what and how to disclose to patients and families that an error has occurred, and finally, discusses the effect of error disclosure.

Conclusion: It seems that if disclosure of medical error is made with compassion, in a timely manner, and with good communication skills both during and after the disclosure process, patients and their families are at least no more likely to seek legal action and some lawsuits may actually be avoided.