Health care services are potentially hazardous and errors sometimes occur despite the best efforts of people and institutions. Patients expect to be informed promptly when they are injured by care, especially care that has gone wrong.
We believe it extremely important to effectively respond to the patient and family concerns and emotions following unexpected, adverse events and that effective clinician-patient communication underlies successful medical care. We understand that clinicians, patients and families are able to acknowledge, forgive, and move on, with less emotional distress when the process of working through adverse outcomes is handled sensitively, ethically and equitably.
Clinicians and staff need the skill and understanding to communicate effectively when patients and families are disappointed with the outcome of care. In order to address this constructively, clinicians must understand what caused the disappointing outcome, how the patient and family feel and think about it and respond in a timely and empathic manner. This process begins with shared decision making before the fact and empathy rather than defensiveness or avoidance when the disappointment occurs. YHC provides formal training to staff on Disclosure of Unanticipated Medical Outcomes and has a policy on Disclosure.
We have provided our policy on Disclosure of Unanticipated Outcomes for your information.
If you have any concerns about your medical treatment at any YHC facility please contact:
KD Braden
Director Quality Improvement and Risk Management
Yukon Hospital Corporation
5 Hospital Road
Whitehorse, YT
Y1A 6V4
1 867 393 8731
kd.braden@wgh.yk.ca
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