Key Objectives:
To discuss public disclosure of healthcare facility outbreaks. A secondary objective is to initiate development of a potential CSTE position statement on this subject.
Brief Summary:
There is growing recognition of the need for transparency in healthcare. Infection control breaches, adverse events, and medical errors are typically disclosed to affected patients, particularly if actions by patients are indicated. Such disclosures are typically performed by healthcare facilities or organizations, often with the involvement of public health agencies. These events are often disclosed secondarily to the public, either proactively by the facility or through media reports. Similarly, outbreaks of healthcare-associated infections often involve specific healthcare facilities. However, these events are infrequently disclosed to the public, and may not be revealed to patients involved in the outbreak. There is a lack of a standard approach to these issues in the United States. Most states require by regulation or statute that healthcare facilities report outbreaks to public health agencies, which may provide assistance in their management. If an outbreak report is generated, a specific facility is rarely identified by name, and the report is typically available only upon request. When they are revealed, either through media discovery or publication (often a year or more after the outbreak), public reaction is often unfavorable to both facilities and the public health agencies involved. There is a need for public health agencies to discuss these issues, and consider a standard approach to public and patient disclosure.