title: [Reporting accidents and (near) mistakes: meaning and possibilities of legislation].
abstract: Several proposals have been made to introduce systems for blame-free reporting of medical accidents and possible mistakes in Dutch health-care facilities. These systems are aimed at improving patient safety. The question whether health-care workers who report accidents and mistakes should be protected by legislation has been raised. In a number of countries, this kind of legal protection has been developed. Most of these laws stipulate that information provided in the context of a reporting system may not be used against the reporter in a legal procedure. In order to improve the willingness of health-care workers to report, it may be worthwhile to introduce this kind of legal protection.
authors.affiliation: Koninklijke Nederlandsche Maatschappij tot bevordering der Geneeskunst, Postbus 20.051, 3502 LB Utrecht. j.legemaate@fed.knmg.nl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Legemaate
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007883:Legislation, Medical; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009426:Netherlands