Handling Hospital Errors: Is Disclosure the Best Defense?
Authors: Albert W. Wu
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Editorials21 December 1999Handling Hospital Errors: Is Disclosure the Best Defense?Albert W. Wu, MD, MPHAlbert W. Wu, MD, MPHThe Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD 21205 (Wu)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-131-12-199912210-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Why do patients sue? Bad outcomes and errors in care are obvious factors, but some of the available evidence implicates deficient communication. One attorney explained it to me this way:In over 25 years of representing both physicians and patients, it became apparent that a large percentage of patient dissatisfaction was generated by physician attitude and denial, rather than the negligence itself. In fact, my experience has been that close to half of malpractice cases could have been avoided through disclosure or apology but instead were relegated to litigation. What the majority of patients really wanted was simply an honest ...References1. Green JA. Minimizing malpractice risks by role clarification. The confusing transition from tort to contract. Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:234-41. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Hickson GB, Clayton EW, Githens PB, Sloan FA. Factors that prompted families to file medical malpractice claims following perinatal injuries. JAMA. 1992;267:1359-63. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Levinson W, Roter DL, Mullooly JP, Dull VT, Frankel RM. Physician-patient communication. The relationship with malpractice claims among primary care physicians and surgeons. JAMA. 1997;277:553-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Beckman JP. Nursing negligence: analyzing malpractice in the hospital setting. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 1996. Google Scholar5. Brennan TA, Leape LL, Laird NM, Hebert L, Localio AR, Lawthers AG, et al . Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients. Results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study I. 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