title: Improving disclosure of medical error through educational program as a first step toward patient safety.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although physicians believe that medical errors should be disclosed to patients and their families, they often hesitate to do so. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of an education program for medical error disclosure.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2015, six medical interns and 79 fourth-year medical students participated in this study. The education program included practice of error disclosure using a standardized patient scenario, feedback, and short didactic sessions. Participant performance was evaluated with a previously developed rating scale that measures error disclosure performance on five specific component skills. Following education program, we surveyed participant perceptions of medical error disclosure with varying severity of error outcome and their satisfaction with the education program using a 5-point Likert scale. We also surveyed the change of attitude or confidence of participants after education program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The performance score was not significantly different between medical interns and medical students (p = 0.840). Following the education program, 65% of participants said that they had become more confident in coping with medical errors, and most participants (79.7%) were satisfied with the education program. They also indicated that they felt a greater duty to disclose medical errors and deliver an apology when the medical error outcome is more severe.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An education program for disclosing medical errors was helpful in improving confidence in medical error disclosure. Extending the program to more diverse scenarios and a more diverse group of physicians is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Choong Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chan Woong
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University College of Medicine, Office of Medical Education, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-799, Republic of Korea. issac73@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sun Jung
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7332-0126
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Myung
authors.affiliation: Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Eo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yerim
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D019300:Medical Errors; D061214:Patient Safety; D013337:Students, Medical; D014342:Truth Disclosure
keywords: Communication; Medical education; Medical error disclosure; Simulation