AHRQ Patient Safety Network: Medical harm: patient perceptions and follow-up actions.

AHRQ Patient Safety Network

Patients who report harm often file complaint with oversight agency; less often get apology or file for malpractice.J Patient Saf. 2014 Nov 13; [Epub ahead of print].

Medical harm: patient perceptions and follow-up actions.

Lyu HG, Cooper MA, Mayer-Blackwell B, et al. J Patient Saf. 2014 Nov 13; [Epub ahead of print].

Patient stories are a growing component of understanding the impact of medical errors on patients. This study analyzed voluntary survey data collected by an independent nonprofit news organization from patientsregarding harm related to medical care. Almost half of respondents filed a complaint with an oversight agency, a much higher proportion than indicated in previous studies. Only 11.4% of patients reported receiving an apology, suggesting that disclosure and apology programs may remain incompletely implemented. About 20% filed a malpractice claim, consistent with prior data. Taken together, responses from this online public survey echo prior literature on patient reports. A past AHRQ WebM&M perspectiveexplores best practices for error disclosure.

PubMed citation 
Available at 
Free full text 
Related news article 

Related Resources

COMMENTARY

Improving patient safety through transparency.

Kachalia A. N Engl J Med. 2013;369:1677-1679.

COMMENTARY

The Sorry Works! Coalition: making the case for full disclosure.

Wojcieszak D, Banja J, Houk C. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2006;32:344-350.

STUDY

Claiming behaviour in a no-fault system of medical injury: a descriptive analysis of claimants and non-claimants.

Bismark MM, Brennan TA, Davis PB, Studdert DM. Med J Aust. 2006;185:203-207.

STUDY

Patient expectations of fair complaint handling in hospitals: empirical data.

Friele RD, Sluijs EM. BMC Health Serv Res. 2006;6:106.

View all related resources...