Patients' and family members' experiences of open disclosure following adverse events

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore patients' and family members' perceptions of Open Disclosure of adverse events that occurred during their health care. DESIGN: We interviewed 23 people involved in adverse events and incident disclosure using a semi-structured, open-ended guide. We analyzed transcripts using thematic discourse analysis. SETTING: Four States in Australia: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three participants were recruited as part of an evaluation of the Australian Open Disclosure pilot commissioned by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. RESULTS: All participants (except one) appreciated the opportunity to mee..