Involving patients and/or their next of kin in serious adverse event investigations: a qualitative study on hospital perspectives.
Knap LJ, Dijkstra-Eijkemans RI, Friele RD, et al. Involving patients and/or their next of kin in serious adverse event investigations: a qualitative study on hospital perspectives. J Patient Saf. 2024;20(8):599-604. doi:10.1097/pts.0000000000001282.
Following serious adverse events, many affected patients and their families want to be involved in incident investigations. Dutch hospitals are required to involve them in investigations, and this study sought to understand how hospitals involve patients and their families and what drives their decisions to do so. Patients and families are invited to participate early in the investigation process, are involved throughout the investigation, and receive some kind of post-investigation report or summary. Hospitals must also balance the patient's need for information with hospital and physician interests.