professional, Ethical, and Legal Aspects of Error Disclosure
Order Instructions:
Professional, Ethical, and Legal Aspects of Error Disclosure
What are the pros and cons of full and immediate disclosure of errors? When should “near misses” be reported? Error disclosure can be an important—and sometimes complex—issue for those working in health care settings.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the various cases and vignettes throughout the Foundations in Patient Safety for Health Professionals textbook and/or conduct research using the Walden library and credible Web sites to locate at least one example of how a health care organization has addressed a situation involving error disclosure.
What are the most effective practices for error disclosure? Evaluate the recommendations presented in the Learning Resources.
What responsibilities do individuals working in health care have in this arena? What legal considerations and ethical codes guide professional practice? Review this week’s Learning Resources, and locate and read the code of ethics associated with your current or future profession.
Post by Day 4 a response to the following:
Briefly analyze a situation involving error disclosure. Provide one or more recommendations of effective practices for disclosing errors that may be applicable to this case.
Describe your current and future legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities with regard to the disclosure of errors. How do you see yourself working with others in this regard? What questions or concerns do you have?
Resources;
Wachter, R., & Pronovost, P. (2009). Balancing “No Blame” with accountability in patient safety. New England Journal of Medicine, 361(14), 1401–1406. Retrieved from
http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=19797289&site=ehost-live&scope=site
This article addresses the issue of individual accountability in health care organizations.
Article: Miller, F. & Emanuel, E. (2008). Quality improvement research and informed consent. New England Journal of Medicine, 358(8) 765–767. Retrieved from
http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=18287598&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Ethical concerns related to quality improvement research are addressed in this article.
Article: Howie, W. (2009). Mandatory reporting of medical errors: Crafting policy and integrating it into practice. Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 5(9), 649–654. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B7XMP-4XFDWSD-7-1&_cdi=29676&_user=7754736&_pii=S1555415509004048&_orig=search&_coverDate=10%2F31%2F2009&_sk=999949990&view=c&wchp=dGLbVtz-zSkzV&md5=564eb6c08784cc3ee910e155b9980e9a&ie=/sdarticle.pdf
The author discusses the need for mandatory reporting of errors.
Optional Resources
Course Media: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (1997). Beyond blame: Solutions to America’s other drug problem. Solona Beach, CA. Available for purchase at http://www.psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?resourceID=1610
