Australian Open Disclosure Framework: Saying sorry - A guide to apologising and expressing regret during open disclosure

This resource is designed to assist clinicians and healthcare providers apologise or express regret with sincerity and empathy, and without speculating or creating uncertainty.

While this document focuses on apologising or expressing regret, it is important to note that this only forms part of open disclosure. To ensure that open disclosure is effective, apologising or expressing regret should be in the context of other restorative actions.

This is a resource to supplement other organisational and national open disclosure resources. It is based on the Australian Open Disclosure Framework and is part of a suite of resource materials including:

• Open disclosure evaluation surveys
• Open disclosure checklist
• Just-in-time information for clinicians
• Open disclosure planning and preparation.