Working through disclosure and apology with the person and family: a humanizing approach to medical error

Disclosing and communicating a medical error to a person (as patient) and/or family members can be an overwhelming and difficult conversation. The act of disclosing a medical error in addition to an apology is complex, intense and demanding for the person and family with the healthcare provider because it makes transparent which human or systems error(s), has caused the harm. This manuscript re-interprets narrative data from people (patients) and families who have experienced medical harm through an adaptation of Richard Kearney’s threefold approach to working through human trauma: (1) practical understanding, (2) cathartic narrative and (3) forgiveness (pardon) [1]. Through this analytical approach, the emphasis is on the nature of working through trauma as a dynamic process in the interaction among and between healthcare providers, patients and family members.