Disclosing Other Docs' Errors: NEJM Article

It's a question we get a lot at Sorry Works: What do I do when my colleague screws up, or the pharmacist made a mistake? Or what do I do when a patient is unhappy with an outcome from another caregiver and seeks my assistance...and part of seeking my assistance is asking me to say the other guy screwed up?   Note: We get this question a lot from orthopaedic surgeons.

We've addressed these questions/topics in this article and this article.

Now add to the mix a recently released NEJM article published by Gallagher et. al.  Great article, a must read, and needs to be baked into disclosure training programs for front-line staff.   I totally agree with the authors' advice of "Explore, Do Not Ignore."   Too often clinicians either quickly pass judgment ("He totally screwed up") when they don't know all the facts, or they have a strong belief something bad happened but they keep their mouths shut.  This new paper helps docs and nurses navigate this tricky path in an ethical manner that is fair to all stakeholders.