Home  A New Kind of Bedside Manner: The Rise of Apology Policies
A New Kind of Bedside Manner: The Rise
of Apology Policies
Original Publish
Date: June 16, 2008
Review Date: NA
Term of Approval End Date: June 16, 2009
Estimated Time to Complete: 1 hour
Risk Management: Yes
Course Format: Text
Course Overview
A New Kind of Bedside Manner:
The Rise of Apology Policies is jointly sponsored by the
Massachusetts Medical Society and Lawyers Weekly, Inc., publishers of
Massachusetts Medical Law Report. Experience from Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, University of
Michigan Health System and other similar models have shown that when
apology is used in the case of an adverse outcome or medical error,
communication between the physician and the patient and their families
is open and honest. Patients are not “kept in the
dark” due to the advice of legal council and they have a clear
understanding of the medical facts of the situation and the details of
why things happened the way they did in their case. Patients also want
to know and are told what is being done to prevent this from happening
to other patients. Studies not only show that this may result in a
reduction malpractice claims and settlements, but more importantly, the
relationship between the patient and physician can be
preserved. The following CME activity includes
the Massachusetts Medical Law Report article, "A New Kind of Bedside
Manner: The Rise of Apology Policies" followed by a summary with
risk management strategies.
Instructions for Completing this Course
and Exam
The following course was
developed in a text format. When you are done reading the course
content pages, click Proceed to Exam in the left
navigation bar. You will be directed through the eCommerce
screens. After payment is received, the exam will display.
After completing the required
reading through the Course Information below, click on
Start button to begin the activity.
Course Information
Intended Audience
This course is intended for
physicians and allied health professionals.
Course Objectives
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Describe the key components of a
successful apology program.
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Explain the impact on the
physician and patient when apology is not used.
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State the reasons why apology may
reduce litigation or awards.
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Understand why communication
after an adverse event or outcome is important to the patient and their
families.
Course Credit
Deadline for completing the course
is June 16, 2009.
The Massachusetts Medical Society
designates A New Kind of Bedside Manner: The Rise of Apology
Policies for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1
Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate
with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This program meets the criteria of
the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for risk management
study.
Participants will receive a
confidential report of their examination score. You must receive a score
of 70% or better to receive AMA PRA Category 1
Credit™. A confirmation of credit will be issued at the
end of the course to those who successfully complete the
examination.
This activity has been planned and
implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the Joint
Sponsorship of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Lawyers Weekly,
Inc.
The Massachusetts Medical Society
is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for
physicians.
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Course Fees
A New Kind of Bedside Manner:
The Rise of Apology Policies and all associated course
materials are available free of charge. An opportunity to complete an
exam and receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for a nominal
fee is available at the end of the course. The course fees are as
follows:
Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS)
Member: $10 ($10 per credit)
Non-MMS member: $20 ($20 per
credit)
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Disclosure/Commercial Support
The following course content
developers have no financial interests or relationships to disclose.
-
Henry Tulgan, MD, FACP
-
Amy Johnson Conner, Freelancer
for Lawyers Weekly
-
Reni Gertner, MPH, Editor Lawyers
Weekly
-
Kathleen Bellisle, Manager of MMS
Distance Learning
Off-label Disclosure:
This course does not include any
discussion of an off-label use of a commercial product or an
investigational use not yet approved for any purpose by the FDA.
Commercial Support
No commercial support was received
for this online program.
Content Disclaimer
The Massachusetts Medical Society
does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this
CME program, which was provided by Lawyers Weekly, Inc. and summarized
by Henry Tulgan, MD, FACP. The views expressed are not necessarily those
of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
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Online Course Developers
Henry Tulgan, MD, FACP
Reni Gertner, MPH, Editor Lawyers Weekly
Kathleen Bellisle, Manager of MMS Distance Learning
Bibliography
1. Lazare A: On Apology. New
York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
2. Leape L.: Full disclosure and
apology: An idea whose time has come. Physician Exec 32:16–18,
Mar.–Apr. 2006.
3. Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations: 2006 Comprehensive
Accreditation Manual for Hospitals: The Official Handbook. Oakbrook
Terrace, IL: Joint Commission Resources, 2005.
4. Kraman S., Hamm G.: Risk
management: Extreme honesty may be the best policy. Ann Intern Med
131:963–967, Dec. 21, 1999.
5. Kraman S.S., et al.: John M.
Eisenberg Patient Safety Awards. Advocacy: The Lexington Veterans
Affairs Medical Center. Jt Comm J Qual Improv 28:646–650, Dec.
2002.
6. Boothman R.: How open, honest
disclosure can reduce claims, costs, and promote patient safety
improvement. Lecture given at the annual meeting of the Greater New York
Hospital Association, New York City, May 13, 2005.
7. Kowalczyk L.: Hospitals study
when to apologize to patients. The Boston Globe, Jun. 24, 2005, p.
A1.
8. Sorry Works! Coalition, accessed
on June 1, 2008 http://www.sorryworks.net/laws.phtml
Helpful
Hints
-
This course and all associated
materials are available free of charge. To complete the exam and
receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, a nominal fee is
applied at the end of the course.
-
If you need to stop in the middle
of a course, you may return to the course at anytime to complete.
-
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Adobe Reader
-
This course is optimized for
Internet Explorer 5.1 and above, and Netscape 4 and above.
-
To read our Copyright
Policy click on the left navigation bar.
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-
Contact us at continuingeducation@mms.org or (800)
322-2303. Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA
02451.
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