Risk management: extreme honesty may be the best policy.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Medical Ethics

Background:

• Traditional risk management often focuses on litigation after adverse events.
• A humanistic approach prioritizes patient relationships and open communication.
• The Veterans Affairs (VA) medical system has explored alternative risk management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review a humanistic risk management policy.
• To assess its components: early injury review, patient relationship maintenance, proactive disclosure, and fair compensation.
• To evaluate preliminary financial outcomes and future potential.

Main Methods:

• Review of a humanistic risk management policy implemented at a VA medical center since 1987.
• Analysis of liability payment data from the implementing facility.
• Examination of the policy's core components and their integration.

Main Results:

• The humanistic risk management policy includes early injury review, patient relationship maintenance, proactive disclosure, and fair compensation.
• One VA medical center using this policy since 1987 has reported moderate liability payments.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs mandates this policy for all facilities, indicating growing adoption.

Conclusions:

• The humanistic risk management policy shows promise in managing medical errors and patient safety.
• Preliminary data suggests potential for reduced financial liability.
• Wider implementation across the VA system will provide more comprehensive data on its effectiveness.