As most of you have seen, a lot has been written recently on the "the power of apology" from physicians. This is an overdue & healthy development that could make a huge impact. It's a shame that it took data "that it pays to be honest" to get people's attention. But hey, regardless, this is better for the patient, better for the physician, and better for our healthcare system.

Tune in tomorrow for a book review of "Healing Words: the Power of Apology in Medicine" by Dr. Michael Woods. For today, here's a summary of what I've seen:

Physician Apology in the blogoshere:
The very prolific Kevin M.D. has posted numerous times on physician apology, but most relate to the fact that apologies actually decrease malpractice and politicians who realize its value are trying to make it less risky for physicians to do so. Red State Moron laments that sorry shouldn't be the hardest word and quotes from a popular (and highly-linked-to) article from the National Review. Dr. Tony reports that even Harvard's teaching hospitals is considering a sweeping disclosure policy, including training in apologizing. StraightFromTheDoc (I told you he is prolific) points to a case when admission of a tragic mistake led to increased quality and reduced medical error in a Boston hospital OB-GYN area.

Physician Apology in the press:
Sorry Works!, of course, has been getting tons of coverage: from Time Magazine, the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Boston Globe, the St. Louis Post, and the Chicago Tribune, to name a few.

Also, there is the now-infamous op-ed piece (reg required) in the NYT by Dr. Richard Friedman. His closing line: "In the end, most patients will forgive their doctor for an error of the head, but rarely for one of the heart." Another memorable quote: "Patients sometimes spontaneously improve despite incompetent treatment. On the other hand, a patient who receives exemplary medical care may fare badly simply because the illness is hard to treat. In other words, doctors are often praised or blamed, when the outcome is in fact a chance event."

Here's some interesting data from one malpractice insurer in Denver: "Average payments to aggrieved patients were under $6,000, compared with about $284,000 for doctors not in the program." For more eye-opening examples/stats, check out this article in RedNova.