Disclosure working group still going strong
Members targeting increased awareness, multi-party disclosure and training guide
Tuesday September 23, 2008 -- Natalie Miller
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the disclosure working group continue efforts to help healthcare providers talk openly with patients and families "in a meaningful way."

Since the introduction of the Canadian Disclosure Guidelines in the spring, the nation's first comprehensive guidelines on disclosure of healthcare information to patients, the driving organization behind the project says the education piece is ongoing.

The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) is currently surveying what's available regarding disclosure training in the country and exploring ways of weaving the content of the Canadian Disclosure Guidelines into the existing training and programs.

"We do have some plans to move forward from the framework . . . to the implementation phase," says Paula Beard, director of operations for CPSI.

She says the disclosure working group, comprised of 25 members including HIROC's claims vice-president Mike Boyce, is continuing with three streams of work.

Those areas are increasing public and provider awareness about the guidelines, tackling multi-party disclosure and developing a casebook to help providers train and practise the experience of disclosure "in a meaningful way with patients," says Beard.

"All members reaffirmed themselves and our very much involved in the work we're doing."

Boyce earlier told Axiom News prior to the release of the Canadian Disclosure Guidelines there wasn't a single source for healthcare providers to turn to for information about telling patients about mistakes or adverse events related to their care. He became involved because HIROC has a broader scope in the healthcare sector, he said.

“HIROC is not just an insurer," he said.

"They work hard at risk management and patient safety."

Since the release of the guidelines, CPSI has posted on its website PowerPoint presentations and speakers available to discuss the knowledge-transfer component of the guidelines. View that information here.

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