Medical liability reform and patient safety are key issues being faced by the federal government. In the age of
healthcare reform, debates and open discussion on these critical issues have come to the forefront. One such
element that is receiving much attention is the full disclosure of medical errors. A hallmark of full disclosure is
open and honest communication among patients, families, and providers in the aftermath of a patient safety
incident. While it is generally accepted that �full disclosure� benefits patients, families, and healthcare providers
and systems, the widespread adoption of full disclosure has yet to occur. Many in the medical-legal and
medical liability arenas still contend that admitting mistakes and making swift restitution following a patient
safety incident will inflate costs, open oneself up to liability, and astronomically increase an institution�s risk and
resulting costs. Thus, we are requesting support from the AHRQ to fund a workshop, bringing together
stakeholders from medicine, nursing, public health and health administration, allied health professions,
government, law, insurance companies (both personal health insurers and medical malpractice insurance
carriers), and patient advocates with faculty and students/trainees to discuss, explore, and develop an
innovative, immersive curriculum focused on open and honest communication with patients and families
following a patient safety incident (medical error). The specific aims of the workshop include: (1) To exchange
information and views regarding medical errors, full disclosure, and open and honest communication following
a patient safety incident among a diverse group of professionals involved in medical liability, organizational
leadership, and healthcare practice; (2) To explore and/or clarify pertinent information (facts and fallacy)
related to the concept of full disclosure following a patient safety incident or medical error; (3) To share
experiences related to medical errors, full disclosure, and open and honest communication following a patient
safety incident; (4) To gain knowledge on the current models of open and honest communication in practice
today and explore the barriers and facilitators of adoption for each of the professions identified; (5) To explore
the relationship of organization culture in facilitating the development of such models of open and honest
communication in practice, and methods of creating open organization cultures; (6) To develop an innovative
curriculum for an intensive immersion in team-oriented open and honest communication between patients,
families and caregivers; (7) To disseminate the outcomes of the workshop, making the tools and toolkits
available within the public domain. Bringing these stakeholders together to jointly build a comprehensive
curriculum is an important first step in ensuring a more widespread adoption of policies for open and honest
communication with patients and families following a patient safety incident. Adoption of these policies should
lead to improved patient safety and quality healthcare over the long-term.