Duty of Candour

Duty of Candour at a Glance

No matter which sector you are working in, mistakes are made. That's just human nature, however, since we're dealing with people's lives within the healthcare sector, mistakes must be reported efficiently, accurately and honestly. Take a second to imagine how you would feel if a close family member or a loved one was receiving health care and a mistake was made, you would want to know what's happened regarding their care and what if any, implications have arisen due to the mistake.

Knowing what happened will help to put the patient and their loved ones at ease. It may not be easy for you, and it will probably be a very uncomfortable conversation, however, having that conversation is the right thing to do for both you and the patient. Not only will conducting a professional duty of candour be beneficial for your patients but will also protect you from any potential litigation. If, for example, you gave someone the wrong dose of medication and the patient had some adverse reaction, but you didn't tell anyone you're putting both yourself and the patient in danger. However, if you inform the correct person and did everything possible for the patient, both their prognosis and your security will be much better than if not.

Within the healthcare setting, most people work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, therefore, upholding a reasonable duty of candour is a team effort and must be coordinated effectively. Duty of candour must be maintained throughout the entire course of care, even from before the care has been given. Ensuring that the patient understands what treatments will be given to them also falls under the duty of candour, as unless requested by the patient withholding information from them is not in their best interest. They must also be made aware of any potential risks as well as the chances of these risks occurring.

Duty of candour also includes near-misses, meaning an event that had the potential to result in a negative situation had things been slightly different. In some cases, investigations may be made into the causes and consequences of the incident, whether that be a near miss or an actual mistake. It is under a proper duty of candour to be as helpful as possible in these investigations, not to falsify the facts, to make sure that as much relevant information has been given as possible. So in summary, duty of candour is the standard that all healthcare professionals should adopt relating to being as open, honest and empathetic with the patient as possible. This runs right through the treatment from when the treatment is first proposed, right through to the end, and especially if any mistakes have been made.