Handling Hospital Errors: Is Disclosure the Best Defense?

Editorials21 December 1999Handling Hospital Errors: Is Disclosure the Best Defense?Albert W. Wu, MD, MPHAlbert W. Wu, MD, MPHThe Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD 21205 (Wu)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-131-12-199912210-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Why do patients sue? Bad outcomes and errors in care are obvious factors, but some of the available evidence implicates deficient communication. One attorney explained it to me this way:In over 25 years of representing both physicians and patients, it became apparent that a large percentage of patient dissatisfaction was generated by physician attitude and denial, rather than the negligence itself. In fact, my experience has been that close to half of malpractice cases could have been avoided through disclosure or apology but instead were relegated to litigation. 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