Surgeon-Patient Communication: Disclosing Unanticipated Medical Outcomes and Errors

The disclosure of unanticipated medical outcomes and errors is essential as physicians strive to create a safer, higher quality healthcare delivery system. Physicians and other healthcare providers should use an organized approach to guide the disclosure of unanticipated medical outcomes and errors. An expression of sympathy or an apology on behalf of a physician depends on whether the medical outcome or error occurred after appropriate care (maloccurrence) or there was a deviation from the standard of care (malpractice).