Doctors encouraged to tell patients, 'I'm sorry'

Associated Press
Nov. 12, 2004 12:00 AM 

It's a lesson children learn even before their ABCs - say you're sorry when you 
hurt someone. But it's now being taught in the grown-up world of medicine as a 
surprisingly powerful way to soothe patients and head off malpractice lawsuits.

Some malpractice-reform advocates say an apology can help doctors avoid getting 
sued, especially when combined with an upfront settlement offer.

The idea defies a long tradition in which doctors cultivated a God-like image 
and rarely owned up to their mistakes. 

The softer approach, now appearing in some medical school courses and hospital 
policies, is drawing interest as national attention has turned to reducing both 
medical errors and the high cost of malpractice insurance. 

Doctors' often-paternalistic relationship with patients is giving way to an 
understanding that "it's OK to tell the patient the whole story," said Dr. Paul 
Barach, an anesthesiologist and patient safety researcher at the University of 
Miami. 

The hospitals in the University of Michigan Health System have been encouraging 
doctors since 2002 to apologize for mistakes. The system's annual attorney fees 
have since dropped from $3 million, to $1 million, and malpractice lawsuits and 
notices of intent to sue have fallen from 262 filed in 2001 to about 130 per 
year, said Rick Boothman, a former trial attorney who launched the practice there.