Glossary
Open disclosure
Open disclosure is the practice of telling a person, and where appropriate their family or representative, openly and promptly when something has gone wrong in their care, including what happened, what it means and what will be done.
What it involves
An acknowledgement that something went wrong, an explanation in plain language, an apology or expression of regret, an account of what will change, and a chance for the person to ask questions. Aged care standards and health care frameworks expect it as part of incident management rather than as a separate process.
Categories, thresholds and timeframes are set by the regulator and change; confirm the current requirements with the regulator for your sector before acting on a real case.
What to record
That the conversation happened, when, who was present, what was said and what was agreed. The record sits with the incident it relates to, so an auditor can follow the event from what happened to how the person was told.
Sources and references
This entry describes the term in general. The regulator’s own site is the authority for your service, and requirements change.
Related
Keep the record
The terms are the easy part. The evidence is the work.
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