Transparency and openness with patients is an important part of improving communication in healthcare, especially when there is an adverse outcome involved, said James Conway, adjunct lecturer at Harvard School of Public Health and senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in an Augusta Chronicle news report.
Mr. Conway, who also is a former COO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, referred to the 1995 death of Betsy Lehman, a Boston Globe news reporter who died from a chemotherapy overdose at Dana-Farber. He said medical errors were not regularly disclosed and communication with patients and families was generally poor.
"Errors don't erode trust," he said. "The way we act after them does."
Following the media coverage of Ms. Lehman's death, Dana-Farber "used this tragedy to take this organization to a very different place," said Mr. Conway. He emphasized the need to involve patients and families in their own care in order to improve patient safety.
Read the news report about Mr. James Conway's insights on patient safety.
Read other coverage about patient safety:
- HealthGrades Study: Medical Errors Much Lower at Top-Rated Hospitals
- Safety Attitudes Questionnaire Could Improve Patient Safety Culture
- Patient Safety Expert Dr. Charles Denham on Patient Safety: Learn Global, Act Local, Be Vocal
Mr. Conway, who also is a former COO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, referred to the 1995 death of Betsy Lehman, a Boston Globe news reporter who died from a chemotherapy overdose at Dana-Farber. He said medical errors were not regularly disclosed and communication with patients and families was generally poor.
"Errors don't erode trust," he said. "The way we act after them does."
Following the media coverage of Ms. Lehman's death, Dana-Farber "used this tragedy to take this organization to a very different place," said Mr. Conway. He emphasized the need to involve patients and families in their own care in order to improve patient safety.
Read the news report about Mr. James Conway's insights on patient safety.
Read other coverage about patient safety:
- HealthGrades Study: Medical Errors Much Lower at Top-Rated Hospitals
- Safety Attitudes Questionnaire Could Improve Patient Safety Culture
- Patient Safety Expert Dr. Charles Denham on Patient Safety: Learn Global, Act Local, Be Vocal