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Admit mistake and improve patient satisfaction, study shows

Physician Practice Advisor, May 11, 2005

It may surprise some physicians, but a recent study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) revealed that admitting you made a medical mistake isn't likely to increase your odds of a patient seeking legal advice; conversely, waiving costs in the case of an undisclosed error might.

In a press release, Principal Investigator Kathleen Mazor, EdD, assistant professor of medicine at the UMMS wrote, "Our findings suggest that full disclosure after a medical error reduces the likelihood that patients will change physicians, improves patient satisfaction, increases trust in the physician, and results in a more positive emotional response. Full disclosure may also reduce the likelihood that patients will seek legal advice under some, but not all, circumstances."

Thirty-eight percent of the 407 study participants said they would seek legal advice when costs were waived after a life-threatening allergy error that had not been disclosed compared with 23% when costs were not waived. The study, presented at the National Patient Safety Foundation conference in Orlando, Fla., also noted that 45% of those surveyed said they had experienced some type of a medical error.

The study entitled, "Health plan members' views about disclosure of medical errors," appeared in the March 16, 2005 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

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