Missed fracture Flashcards
Apologise/ acknowledge the feeling of the patient
“I’m really sorry that this has happened. I can understand how it is both distressing and frustrating for you.”
Provide an explanation
“Sometimes there are very subtle features on an XRAY which can be hard to pick out when looking at an XRAY. Unfortunately this fracture was missed. We do have specialist radiologist that thoroughly read through all XRAYs within days, to ensure even subtle features which are missed can be detected.”
Action
“I can assure you no significant harm will come out of this fracture being missed. I would like to come up with a plan for how to manage this…
“I will discuss this case with the doctor involved so they can learn from it. We will also discuss it in our department so that all doctors can learn from this and ensure it does not happen again. If you would like to raise a complaint then it is within your right to do so… this is how you do it”
