Medical errors, apologies and apology laws

Apologizing for medical errors is both ethically and professionally responsible and also crucial for improving patient safety and quality of care, write Dr. Noni MacDonald and Dr. Amir Attaran and the CMAJ editorial team http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg11.pdf. They point out that an apology can have significant healing effects for the patient, family and physician. However, Canada lacks apology laws in every jurisdiction and these provinces and territories should be pressed to enact these laws. Early settlement or no fault compensation needs to be considered.