Open Disclosure: Connecting with patients when things don’t go according to plan

Open disclosure is an essential part of patient centred care and a cornerstone of ethical and responsible healthcare practice.

It is crucial for healthcare professionals to have the skills to navigate sensitive and emotionally charged conversations. These conversations can include discussing adverse events, medical errors, or unexpected outcomes that take place in incident management processes such as open disclosure. Open disclosure is a patient right, is anchored in professional ethics, considered good clinical practice, and is part of the care continuum (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2013

Why is open disclosure important? 

Open disclosure is an essential part of patient centred care and a cornerstone of ethical and responsible healthcare practice. Having processes to enable effective open disclosure is a requirement of NSQHS Standard 1. Open disclosure presents opportunities to foster trust, drive quality improvement and collaboration between patients, their families and healthcare providers. This ultimately leads to better patient outcomes and enhanced healthcare experiences. 

Equipping healthcare professionals with the skills to conduct effective open disclosure is pivotal in ensuring patients and their families feel heard, validated and supported during challenging times.  

Gain practical skills in Open Disclosure and understand the current framework for Open Disclosure. 

Register now for an Open Disclosure training sessions hosted by the ACHS Improvement Academy.  

This interactive training session will use a case study to teach key principles and will include a video role play to demonstrate best practice in open disclosure. 

Register and browse for our upcoming interactive training sessions here.