title: [Analysis of barriers and legal-ethical opportunities for disclosure and apology for medical errors in Spain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify opportunities for disclosing information on medical errors in Spain and issuing an apology, as well as legal-ethical barriers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted through a questionnaire sent to health law and bioethics experts (n=46).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 39 experts (84.7%) responded that health providers should always disclose adverse events and 38 experts (82.6%) were in favour of issuing an apology. Thirty experts (65.2%) reported that disclosure of errors would not lead to professional liability. The main opportunity for increasing disclosure was by enhancing trust in the physician-patient relationship and the main barrier was fear of the outcomes of disclosing medical errors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a broad agreement on the lack of liability following disclosure/apology on adverse events and the need to develop a strategy for disclosure among support for physicians.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Epidemiología y Evaluación, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, España; IMIM (Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas), Barcelona, España; Escuela Superior de Enfermería del Mar, Centro adscrito a la Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, España; Programa de Doctorado en Metodología de la Investigación Biomédica y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, España; Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC), España. Electronic address: pgiraldo@parcdesalutmar.cat.
authors.forename: Priscila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giraldo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Trabajo Social, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corbella
authors.affiliation: Digestum Legal, Despacho de Abogados, Barcelona, España; Departamento de Derecho y Bioética, Universidad Ramón Llull, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Epidemiología y Evaluación, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, España; IMIM (Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas), Barcelona, España; Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC), España.
authors.forename: Mercè
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Comas
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Epidemiología y Evaluación, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, España; IMIM (Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas), Barcelona, España; Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC), España; Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Epidemiología y Evaluación, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, España; IMIM (Instituto Hospital del Mar de Investigaciones Médicas), Barcelona, España; Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC), España; Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Castells
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure / Q000941:ethics*
keywords: Apology; Comunicación; Disclosure; Disculpa; Ethics; Evento adverso; Legal; Medical error; Ética