Doctors still backward in coming forward

Doctors must be better trained to admit mistakes, according to researchers who have identified some of the main reasons that hinder error disclosure.

In a article published this month in Medical Education, Dr Neha Vapiwala and colleagues argue that it’s time to address the psychological challenges that medical professionals wrestle with when they face the possibility of disclosing an error.

To date, efforts have focused on the legal and financial aspects of error disclosure and have not addressed other barriers such as fear, shame and guilt, the authors note.