Disclosure Pro Tip: Unions and Disclosure & Apology

Disclosure Pro Tip: Unions and Disclosure & Apology 

Over the last couple weeks, we've learned that physicians at the University of Southern California (USC) and Stanford are unionizing. Many nurses in the United States are members of labor unions. And more docs and nurses will surely follow given the renewed interest in labor unions due to the economic upheavals from the pandemic.   

If your staff is represented by a union, make sure the union leadership knows about your disclosure program. 

I have often told the story of two nurses who were involved in a medication error in which two premature babies received mom's medicine; the bottles for the two different medications were nearly identical. Classic system error. Fortunately, tragedy was averted and the hospital risk manager described to me all the good and right things they were doing to ethically resolve the situation. I asked the risk manager how the nurses were doing.  She said they were devastated, and what made the case so tough was these were/are veteran nurses admired by everyone.  I suggested to the risk manager that she try to get the nurses to meet with the family, apologize, and hopefully receive forgiveness.  A month later I called the risk manager back to ask how the nurses were doing, and she flatly stated the union rejected the idea of the nurses meeting with the family.  An opportunity lost because, likely, no one had described disclosure & apology to the union.  

I have had the privilege of describing the value of disclosure and apology to union officials, and they are supportive of the concept -- but you have to make the effort to inform and educate.  You may even consider involving union leadership in your disclosure program.   

That's today's disclosure pro-tip.   For more information about disclosure and apology or request help, please contact Sorry Works! at 618-559-8168 or doug@sorryworks.net.

Sincerely,

- Doug

Doug Wojcieszak, MA,MS
Founder and President
Sorry Works!
618-559-8168 (direct dial)
doug@sorryworks.net