Worth reading for sure

Jim Conway reports about the release at today's NAHQ* Annual Meeting of a white paper entitled Respectful Management of Serious Clinical Adverse Events. The authors are Jim, Frank Federico, Kevin Stewart, and Mark J. Campbell.

Here's an introductory paragraph:

Every day, clinical adverse events occur within our health care system, causing physical and psychological harm to one or more patients, their families, staff (including medical staff ), the community, and the organization. In the crisis that often emerges, what differentiates organizations, positively or negatively, is their culture of safety; the role of the board of trustees and executive leadership; advanced planning for such an event; the balanced prioritization of the needs of the patient, family, staff, and organization; and how actions immediately and over time bring empathy, support, resolution, learning, and improvement. The risks of not responding to these adverse events in a timely and effective manner are significant, and include loss of trust, absence of healing, no learning and improvement, the sending of mixed messages about what is really important to the organization, increased likelihood of regulatory action or lawsuits, and challenges by the media.

Jim offers this comment:

Through the efforts and work of so many, the White Paper is strong. Early response to the content in presentations suggests it can have a significant impact. Ongoing interactions with leaders underscore the need. With its release along with continued learning and improvement, we can achieve a goal we all share in common: In the aftermath of an adverse events, patients, family members, staff and members of the community would say “we were treated with respect and there was learning and improvement."

Lucian Leape provides an early review:

Thank you for this great work. It is evident that it is destined to be THE reference document for organizations everywhere. It is just what is needed. The right balance of theory, explanation, and practical advice. You should be very proud, and we are all very grateful.

Other colleagues have said:

It is extremely well done and is a major resource for the field.

Congratulations to you and your team on this incredible document. Your efforts in pulling this information together should be commended. On behalf of patients, families, health care workers and health care organizations, please keep up your great work and momentum!

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* National Association of Healthcare Quality