From denying and defending everything to open disclosure
The government has promised it will compel doctors to come clean. What does the experience of other countries tell us about whether this will work?
Following the Vicky Phelan cervical cancer scandal, the government has promised a system of mandatory open disclosure which will compel doctors to come clean with patients when mistakes are made.
The policy, set to be introduced under the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill, is a gear up from last year’s Civil Liability Amendment Act, which put open disclosure on a statutory footing for the first time, but only on a voluntary basis.
