Skip to content
Cart Notification help

Core course for every profession

Open Disclosure in Healthcare Practice

Saying Sorry, Explaining What Happened and Supporting Patients After Harm

  • 2 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 15-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

Written for

Topics

About this course

When care goes wrong, the hardest conversation in health care begins. Many practitioners know they should be honest but are unsure what they are allowed to say, worry that an apology will be used against them, or simply have never been taught how to explain an error to a frightened or angry patient. Silence, euphemism and delay are the result, and they are among the most common reasons a clinical incident becomes a complaint or an Ahpra notification.

This course gives you a clear, current and practical approach to open disclosure in Australia. It explains the June 2026 revision of the Australian Open Disclosure Framework, the open disclosure expectations in National Board codes, how apology laws work across the states and territories, and how Victoria's statutory duty of candour operates. Then it takes you step by step through the first hours after harm, preparing a formal meeting, saying sorry well, explaining facts without speculating, listening to the patient's experience, agreeing a plan and documenting it.

You will also look at the people on the other side of the conversation: the distress clinicians feel after adverse events, how small practices can apply the Framework without a patient liaison team, and how leaders build cultures where honesty after harm is normal. Australian case illustrations from hospitals, general practice, pharmacy, dentistry, allied health and paramedicine make the skills concrete.

Written and reviewed by

Written by

Dr Hannah Whitmore PhD, MSc, RN

Nursing Education & Professional Practice

Reviewed by (legal reviewer)

Professor James Ellington LLB, LLM, PhD

Healthcare Law, Ethics & Professional Regulation

Reviewed by (editorial team)

Editorial Team Member

Healthcare ethics, professional conduct, patient safety and evidence-based education.

Last reviewed

Our authors and reviewers check course content for accuracy and currency. Completing a course does not guarantee any particular outcome with Ahpra, a National Board, a tribunal or an employer.

Who this course is for

  • Doctors, nurses, midwives and other practitioners working in hospitals and day procedure services
  • General practitioners, practice nurses and practice principals
  • Community and hospital pharmacists
  • Dental practitioners, physiotherapists, podiatrists, psychologists and other allied health practitioners in private practice
  • Paramedics and ambulance service clinicians
  • Nurse unit managers, clinical leaders and open disclosure leads
  • Practitioners who have been involved in an adverse event and want to handle it well

What you’ll learn

  • Apologise with confidence

    Separate the apology, the known facts and any opinion about cause, so you can say sorry early without speculating or assigning blame.

  • Lead or join a formal meeting

    Prepare participants, interpreters, a culturally safe setting and an agreed chronology, and run a conversation that explains, listens and agrees a written plan.

  • Document and follow through

    Record disclosure factually, schedule follow-up, share review findings and close the process by agreement with the patient.

  • Look after yourself and your team

    Recognise the impact of adverse events on clinicians, use confidential support early and help build a culture of openness.

Learning objectives

  • Define open disclosure and describe the June 2026 revision of the Australian Open Disclosure Framework.
  • Identify the open disclosure expectations in your National Board's code of conduct.
  • Explain how apology laws and Victoria's statutory duty of candour affect what you say.
  • Match the disclosure response to the seriousness of harm and the patient's wishes.
  • Plan and conduct an open disclosure conversation that apologises, explains and listens.
  • Document disclosure accurately and follow up review findings with the patient.
  • Respond constructively when disclosure goes badly.
  • Look after your own wellbeing and contribute to a culture of openness.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • A double dose discovered overnight

    A ward nurse finds a patient received an extra anticoagulant dose. You work through immediate care, initial disclosure and the words to use before every fact is known.

  • A missed pathology result

    A GP discovers an abnormal kidney result was filed without action months earlier. You plan a disclosure with an interpreter, explain uncertainty honestly and agree follow-up.

  • A burn in a physiotherapy clinic

    A heat pack injures a patient with reduced sensation. You see how the code's open disclosure expectations apply in a small private practice.

  • A SAPSE in a Victorian hospital

    A return to theatre after a charting error triggers Victoria's statutory duty of candour. You follow the 24-hour apology and the formal candour process.

  • A family who no longer trusts you

    Meetings break down and the family alleges a cover-up. You practise acknowledging the breakdown, offering an independent facilitator and respecting complaint rights.

  • A packing error in a community pharmacy

    A discontinued medicine is packed into a dose administration aid. You apply open disclosure as a sole pharmacist in charge with no liaison team.

Course contents

6 sections, 23 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: Open Disclosure in Australian Healthcare4 lessons
    • 1.1 What Open Disclosure Means
    • 1.2 The Australian Framework and Its 2026 Revision
    • 1.3 Open Disclosure in Your National Board's Code
    • 1.4 Why Openness Benefits Patients and Practitioners
  2. Section 2: The Legal and Regulatory Landscape4 lessons
    • 2.1 Apology Laws Across Australia
    • 2.2 Victoria's Statutory Duty of Candour
    • 2.3 Insurers, Employers and Incident Systems
    • 2.4 What Open Disclosure Is Not
  3. Section 3: Recognising the Need and Planning the Response4 lessons
    • 3.1 From Near Miss to Serious Harm
    • 3.2 The First Hours After Harm
    • 3.3 Preparing for a Formal Conversation
    • 3.4 Complex Situations
  4. Section 4: Having the Conversation4 lessons
    • 4.1 Opening the Conversation and Saying Sorry
    • 4.2 Explaining What Happened
    • 4.3 Listening to the Patient's Experience
    • 4.4 Agreeing What Happens Next
  5. Section 5: Follow-Up, Documentation and Learning4 lessons
    • 5.1 Documenting Open Disclosure
    • 5.2 Follow-Up and Closing the Process
    • 5.3 When Disclosure Goes Badly
    • 5.4 Turning Events into Learning
  6. Section 6: Supporting Clinicians and Building an Open Culture3 lessons
    • 6.1 The Impact on Clinicians
    • 6.2 Open Disclosure in Small Practices
    • 6.3 Building a Culture of Openness
  7. Final assessment and written reflection15 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    15 scenario-based questions. You need 12 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 2 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 2 hours of learning, to support your CPD plan
  • A written reflective account on an adverse event, your hardest disclosure skill and a workplace improvement
  • Scripts showing what to say and what to avoid at each stage of the conversation
  • A first-hours checklist and a formal meeting checklist you can adapt for your workplace

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Does Ahpra accredit or approve this course?

No. This is an independent educational course. It is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, any National Board or any professional body. Under the CPD registration standards you choose the activities that suit your learning needs, so record the time you actually spend and decide whether the course fits your CPD plan.

Can saying sorry be used against me in court?

Every Australian state and territory has apology laws that limit the use of an apology as evidence of fault or liability, although their scope varies. Statements of fact and opinions about cause may not be protected. The Framework says there are no medico-legal grounds for avoiding the word sorry, provided you avoid speculation and blame. Seek advice from your insurer or MDO after a serious event.

What changed in the 2026 Australian Open Disclosure Framework?

The June 2026 revision describes open disclosure as person-centred and principles-based, distinguishes initial disclosure from formal open disclosure, makes cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples an explicit principle, recognises social harm, and adds guidance on virtual care, nominated contact persons, independent facilitators and restorative practice.

Does the statutory duty of candour apply outside Victoria?

At the time of writing, Victoria is the only Australian jurisdiction with a legislated duty of candour, which applies to covered health service entities rather than to individual practitioners. Practitioners in every state and territory still have professional open disclosure obligations under their National Board code, and public and private health services have their own policies.

Do I need to disclose a near miss that did not harm the patient?

Near misses are within the scope of open disclosure, and the response should be proportionate to the patient's needs. Where the patient saw the near miss or is likely to learn of it, a brief honest explanation and apology is almost always appropriate.

Should I call my MDO or insurer before talking to the patient?

Notify your insurer or MDO promptly and seek advice for serious events, but do not let this delay urgent care or the initial acknowledgement and apology. Insurers want you to avoid admitting legal liability or promising compensation, not to avoid honesty.

How should I document an open disclosure conversation?

Record the date, time, place and people present, what was said about the event and its consequences, the apology, the patient's questions and wishes, and what was agreed. Use factual, neutral language, never alter earlier entries, and give the patient a copy of the agreed plan.

Will this course satisfy a condition on my registration?

The course cannot satisfy a Board condition, undertaking or other mandatory requirement on its own. If you have a condition that requires education, confirm with Ahpra or your Board, and your lawyer or MDO, whether this course is acceptable before you enrol.

Save with a program that includes this course