Saying sorry - should a 'safe space' be created to allow effective communication between healthcare practitioners and aggrieved parties after an iatrogenic event in South Africa?
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Abstract
The incidence of medical negligence claims is well documented in South Africa (SA). Civil and criminal processes are in place to deal with this, and the matter may be reported to the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA). There is a school of thought that suggests that these processes do not provide sufficient relief to an affected party. The processes are not always satisfactory; an aggrieved party may wish to know the reasons why a particular error occurred and why a healthcare practitioner acted in a particular manner. In addition to this, they may want to receive a sincere apology. Medical practitioners may also want to communicate with patients or family members of a patient who has passed away as a result of an iatrogenic event, but may be fearful of litigation. This article considers the current position in SA in relation to issuing an apology related to an iatrogenic event, and consults foreign jurisdictions for further guidance on the topic.
期刊介绍：
The SAMJ is a monthly peer reviewed, internationally indexed, general medical journal. It carries The SAMJ is a monthly, peer-reviewed, internationally indexed, general medical journal publishing leading research impacting clinical care in Africa. The Journal is not limited to articles that have ‘general medical content’, but is intending to capture the spectrum of medical and health sciences, grouped by relevance to the country’s burden of disease. This will include research in the social sciences and economics that is relevant to the medical issues around our burden of disease
The journal carries research articles and letters, editorials, clinical practice and other medical articles and personal opinion, South African health-related news, obituaries, general correspondence, and classified advertisements (refer to the section policies for further information).
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