Doctors More Likely to Disclose Errors That Are Apparent to Patients

MONDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors are more likely to admit to medical errors that are apparent to patients, according to a new U.S. survey.

The researchers also found that most doctors believe patients should be told about medical errors, but there was a wide range of opinions about when and how to inform them.

In addition, the survey showed that doctors' specialties affect their attitudes about disclosure, but the malpractice environment does not.

A team at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle surveyed 2,637 doctors (1,233 in the United States and 1,404 in Canada). Among those surveyed, 49.7 percent were medical specialists, 40.3 percent were surgeons, 8.5 percent were family doctors, and 1.4 percent did not list their specialty.

The survey, published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, revealed that:

• 64 percent of doctors agreed that errors were a serious problem.
• 98 percent supported disclosing serious errors to patients, and 78 percent supported disclosing minor errors.
• 58 percent had disclosed an error to a patient and 85 percent of those were satisfied with the disclosure.
• 66 percent agreed that disclosing a serious error reduces malpractice risk.
• Doctors' estimates of how likely they were to be sued didn't affect whether they believed that patients should be told about medical errors.

"The medical profession should consider whether the culture of medicine itself represents a more important barrier than the malpractice environment to the disclosure of harmful medical errors," the authors concluded.

"Patients justifiably expect that harmful medical errors will be disclosed to them. Increasing physician engagement in efforts to communicate openly with patients following errors and to enhance patient safety could provide a much-needed boost to patient's confidence in the quality and integrity of the health care system," they added.