Open Disclosure Training for General Practice Teams
Introduction:
Welcome to the Open Disclosure Training Course for General Practitioners, Practice Managers, Nurses, and Reception Staff. This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to implement the Australian Open Disclosure Framework within your practice. Open disclosure is an important aspect of patient safety and quality healthcare delivery.
Module 1: Understanding Open Disclosure
- Definition of Open Disclosure: An open discussion with a patient about incidents resulting in harm during healthcare.
- Importance of Open Disclosure: Enhancing patient trust, improving clinician-patient relationships, and fostering patient engagement in care.
Module 2: Principles of Open Disclosure
- Open and Timely Communication: Providing honest and ongoing information to patients.
- Acknowledgment: Promptly recognise adverse events and initiate the open disclosure process.
- Apology or Expression of Regret: Offering sincere apologies for harm caused by adverse events.
- Recognition of Reasonable Expectations: Meeting patient expectations for transparency, empathy, and support.
- Staff Support: Creating an environment where staff feel empowered to report adverse events and are supported through the open disclosure process.
- Integrated Risk Management and Systems Improvement: Investigating adverse events to improve care systems and prevent recurrences.
- Good Governance: Establishing accountability for clinical risk management and quality improvement processes.
- Confidentiality: Respecting patient and staff privacy while adhering to relevant laws and regulations.
Module 3: Implementing Open Disclosure in Practice
- Maintaining an Open Disclosure Process: Encouraging all team members to follow the Australian Open Disclosure Framework.
- Developing Policies and Guidelines: Aligning practice policies with open disclosure principles.
- Keeping Records: Documenting discussions, apologies, and incident details.
- Quality Improvement Initiatives: Enhancing patient education and implementing changes to prevent recurrence.
- Educating Practitioners: Providing training on open disclosure framework and its application in small practices.
- Practice Team Meetings: Facilitating discussions on open disclosure to promote awareness and collaboration.
This activity is suitable for self-recorded CPD (EA 1 hour + RP 1 hour = 2 CPD hours). Program-level requirements are professionalism and Ethical Practice.
A Certificate will be provided at the end of the course. You can read more about the reasons for using our training courses here.
- Suitable for General Practitioners, Practice staff and Practice Nurses.
- This course is a self-learning, fully online activity.
- You will receive a Certificate at the end of the course. Click on your profile name to access the Certificates.
- This course is free of charge to anyone.
- When you enrol in the course, you must register at www.courses.generalpracticetraining.com.au. It is also free of charge. We will never ask you for your credit card details or any payments. You are not required to enter your real date of birth or address. Advertisements around this website help us cover some of the course costs and keep it free for you.
- When asked to register for this portal, please enter your user name as you wish it to be on the Certificate of completion of the course.
- You are not required to provide your real date of birth or address.
Where can you find your Certificate?
More free resources for General Practice at our main website: https://generalpracticetraining.com.au/
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Who should complete this Risk Management and Open Disclosure training?
A: This course is suitable for all healthcare and administrative staff working in general practice, allied health, aged care, and community settings. It promotes a culture of safety and accountability across all roles within a healthcare team.
Q: What is open disclosure?
A: Open disclosure is the process of communicating with patients when something goes wrong in their care. It involves acknowledging the event, explaining what happened, offering an apology or expression of regret, and outlining steps taken to prevent recurrence.
Q: Why is open disclosure important in healthcare?
A: It strengthens trust between patients and healthcare providers, promotes transparency, reduces the risk of complaints or legal action, and aligns with both ethical and professional standards for patient care.
Q: What topics are covered in this course?
A: The course explores the principles of open disclosure, how to communicate effectively after an adverse event, managing patient expectations, documentation, and the importance of risk management systems in preventing errors.
Q: How long does the course take to complete?
A: The course usually takes around 40–60 minutes to complete, depending on reading pace and reflection time.
Q: Is the course free and does it include a certificate?
A: Yes. The training is entirely free, self-paced, and includes an instant downloadable certificate upon completion.
Q: Is this course suitable for accreditation evidence?
A: Absolutely. Completion can be recorded in your staff training register as evidence of meeting RACGP 5th Edition Standards related to risk management, incident response, and open disclosure.
Q: Can this course help improve practice operations?
A: Yes. Practices that implement open disclosure procedures and encourage honest communication often see higher patient satisfaction and reduced risk of disputes.
Q: Do I need prior experience or qualifications to take this course?
A: No prior training is required. The course is designed for all staff members, including new employees, clinical staff, and practice managers.
Q: Can staff outside of healthcare take this course?
A: Yes. Although designed for general practice, the principles of accountability, risk communication, and transparency are valuable for any organisation that handles client safety or sensitive information.
