Disclosing unanticipated outcomes to patients: the art and practice.
Although medical errors remain disturbingly common, many patients are never informed about errors that occur during their care. Disclosing errors to patients was identified as a priority in the National Quality Forum's 2006 update to Safe Practices for Better Healthcare. In this commentary, the authors discuss the essential components of full disclosure, methods for overcoming barriers to error disclosure, and how an organization can improve the culture of safety through encouraging disclosure.