played a part can be deeply affecting — openly and transparently.
"We have a training course to teach nurses, doctors and administra-
tors how to communicate with patients who have an unexpected out-
come, with the goal of repairing relationships," says Dr. Rothfield. "It's
a discussion around empathy, where you're telling them you did a thor-
ough investigation and you don't believe it could have been prevent-
ed."
And if the adverse outcome was preventable?
"Then the discussion turns to, 'We are so sorry our actions
caused this, we are here to support you in practical and financial
outcomes, and we're going to help you become whole again,'" he
says. "They're expecting us to provide excuses and put up a
smokescreen, so they're typically pretty surprised when they hear
us use that kind of language. But patients deserve answers, and
we don't believe those answers should be delivered in a court-
room."
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