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In the U.S., there is broad ethical consensus supporting disclosure of known medical errors, but even so, the physician who must acknowledge a mistake faces a daunting situation. Disclosing medical errors is the theme of this physician-patient interaction resulting in a medical liability lawsuit.

In this interaction, the involved physicians avoided disclosing important information to the patient during the informed consent process. An informed consent exchange that is not truthful and complete violates standards of medical ethics.

The pediatrician in this interaction worked to build a therapeutic alliance with the mother of her minor patient. The mother responded. Later, the mother’s anxiety for her son’s condition caused her to discount the shared decision-making process and to cast blame on the pediatrician. The pediatrician’s documentation of her discussions with the mother clarified the events in this case, helping to get the lawsuit dismissed.

In this interaction, a patient’s ethnic background and limited English proficiency obstructed her care. Instead of taking steps to facilitate communication, the physician continued only with his established treatment plan and methods, failing to appreciate the value of the patient’s contribution to or understanding of her care. This contributed to the physician failing to treat the patient fairly and a poor outcome.

Patients have a right to expect that their private medical information will be kept confidential. In this interaction, a physician was ultimately responsible for a confidentiality breach — an ethically and legally inappropriate action.