Hospitals have barriers to being frank with patients

A survey of staff at two of the country’s biggest hospitals found unanimous support for being frank with patients when things go wrong — but nine out of 10 felt there were barriers within the organisation to prevent this.

The survey at Cork University Hospital and Dublin’s Mater Hospital, carried out to assess their safety culture, found fears weak leadership could lead to problems being buried rather than dealt with. Some staff at both sites — the locations for a national pilot programme on open disclosure — were “highly sceptical” the project could succeed in the current organisational climates.

Staff who attended awareness sessions in relation to open disclosure reported too much emphasis on litigation and the potential backlash from it, rather than being honest with the patient because it is “the right thing to do”.