Week 14 Pick lsquoEm game has been scored

7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ Even though nursesroutinely disclose nursing errors to their patients, a new study published inthe January 2009 issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and PatientSafety shows that nurses often are not included when physicians tell patientsabout more serious mistakes. Nurses play such a hands-on role at the bedside of their patients that thestudy's authors conclude that the absence of nurses from discussions to planfor or disclose errors can diminish the quality of the disclosure experiencedby the patient or their family. For example, when nurses are not involved inthe planning for disclosure, they may seem evasive in answering patients'questions or stall by encouraging families to write down their questions orset up a meeting with doctors. The study, "Disclosing Errors to Patients:Perspectives of Registered Nurses," systematically explores nurses' attitudestoward and experiences with error disclosure to patients."Improving the quality of error disclosure to patients is a top priority inhealth care," says Sarah E. This means quickly sharing information among the team about the error:what happened, why it occurred, what is being done to mitigate potential harmand prevent future errors, and what the patient has been told, will be told,and when."The study of nearly 100 nurses reports that nurses say they talk with patientsabout errors that are within their control, such as late or missed medicationsor treatments. But nurses in the study said they hesitate to independentlydisclose errors that involved serious harm or actions of other members of thehealth care team. The study also found low awareness of institutionaldisclosure policies.The study's authors three nurses and one physician conclude that a teamdisclosure process is best and recommend that health care organizationsestablish policies that permit nurses and other caregivers to participate inand raise concerns about the disclosure process.

The authors point out that alack of collaboration and communication in the disclosure process may lead tomoral distress, increased job dissatisfaction and job turnover among nurses.In addition, the authors suggest that nurse managers should receive trainingon how to tell patients and families that a mistake has occurred. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, published monthlyby Joint Commission Resources (JCR), features peer-reviewed research and casestudies on improving quality and safety in health care organizations.Clickhere( http://;jsessionid1c3t4pj54vose.alice)to order this article in the January 2009 issue. To subscribe to The JointCommission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, please call JCR CustomerService toll-free at 800-746-6578, or visit Note: No statement in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and PatientSafety should be construed as an official position of The Joint Commission orJoint Commission Resources, Inc (JCR) unless otherwise stated. In particular,there has been no official review with regard to matters of standardscompliance Joint Commission Resources, Inc.

(JCR), a not-for-profit affiliate of TheJoint Commission, has been designated by The Joint Commission to publishpublications and multimedia products. JCR reproduces and distributes thesematerials under license from The Joint Commission. JCR educational programsand publications support the accreditation activities of The Joint Commission,but are separate functions. Attendees at JCR educational programs andpurchasers of JCR publications receive no special consideration or treatmentin, or confidential information about, the accreditation process. Learn moreabout Joint Commission Resources at Commission ResourcesKen Powers, Media Relations Manager of The Joint Commission, 1-630-792-5175,. Week 14 Pick ‘Em game has been scored.