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Most physicians endorse disclosing medical errors involving pediatric patients

Source/Disclosures Source: Kolaitis IN, et al. Acad Pediatr. 2015;doi:10.1016/j.acap.2015.06.011. ADD TOPIC TO EMAIL ALERTS Receive an email when new articles are posted on . Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on Subscribe ADDED TO EMAIL ALERTS You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.



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Most surveyed physicians supported full disclosure of medical errors to parents and older pediatric patients, especially when irreversible harm has been caused, according to study data in Academic Pediatrics.

“Research on communication of medical errors, like research on communication in medicine more generally, has focused primarily on the dyadic relationship between adult patients and their physicians,” Irini N. Kolaitis, MD, of the department of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Our study found that most pediatricians endorse disclosure of medical errors to older pediatric patients, particularly when serious harm occurs.”

Irini N. Kolaitis

To assess pediatrician attitudes toward medical error disclosure, the researchers conducted an anonymous survey of 474 AAP members. The survey included sections that: gauged general attitudes toward error disclosure; posed hypothetical medical error scenarios; and gathered demographic information.

Study data showed that 98% of pediatricians supported disclosing medical errors to parents, while 57% felt it was important to share that information with pediatric patients (P < .0001).

The mean developmental age at which pediatricians felt it was most appropriate to share medical errors with patients was 12.15 years. Furthermore, respondents believed that medical errors should not be disclosed to children aged younger than a mean of 10.25 years.

The researchers also found that 72% of respondents believed that the decision to disclose errors should be reached jointly by the pediatrician and the patient’s parents. Likewise, 88% of respondents believed a parent should be present during disclosure of an error.

Study results showed that only patient age (OR = 18.65; 95% CI, 9.2-37.8) and the permanency of injuries (OR = 2.9, 95% CI, 1.73-4.86) affected the respondents’ attitudes on medical error disclosures made to pediatric patients. No statistically significant effect, based on practitioner demographics, was observed on disclosure decisions.

“While many physicians endorse the full and timely disclosure of medical errors, several barriers to disclosure exist,” Kolaitis and colleagues wrote. “The most common barrier reported by trainees and attending physicians is lack of formal training.” – by David Costill

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.