Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2015 Feb;139(2):163-4. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2014-0136-ED.

Pathologists and medical error disclosure: don't wait for an invitation.

Cohen DA1, Allen TC.

Author information

• 1From the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas (Dr Cohen); and the Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston (Dr Allen).

"Like our clinical colleagues, pathologists should not wait for an invitation to participate in error disclosure—far from it—pathologists should become active participants in discussing with patients the events surrounding a potential medical error, how it was discovered, and what is being done to ensure that the medical error never happens again. They should absolutely be involved in every situation for which there is potential pathologist or laboratory error; they should invite themselves to actively participate in situations for which a laboratory issue may have played an indirect role; and they should liberally offer to participate in other, nonlaboratoryrelated, disclosure conversations in case a question or concern regarding the laboratory arises. It is in such an advocacy role that pathologists can best serve their patients."