E31:Finding the Courage to Speak-Honesty After Medical Harm(w/Leilani Schweitzer)

In this conversation, Leilani shares with Host Dr Saba Fatima with her profound journey from personal tragedy to becoming a patient advocate, emphasizing the importance of communication and compassion in healthcare. She discusses her experiences with hospitals after the loss of her son, the need for authentic apologies, and the challenges faced by healthcare workers. Leilani highlights the significance of understanding and transparency in healing, both for patients and providers, and introduces her current work aimed at improving communication in healthcare settings.

Leilani Schweitzer is a patient safety advocate who helps healthcare systems respond to medical harm with compassion, honesty, and accountability. Her journey into patient advocacy began after the death of her 20-month-old son, Gabriel, in 2005 due to a series of medical errors. Following this tragedy, Stanford offered her a position working with patients and families who experienced medical harm, where she served for twelve years as Assistant Vice President for Communication & Resolution. 
Leilani co-founded Comms Corps, which trains healthcare professionals to communicate clearly and compassionately with patients and families after medical harm. The organization’s Certified Medical Harm Communicator course offers CME credit and practical tools to help institutions meet ethical, legal, and regulatory expectations for transparency.
Leilani is a former Board President of the Collaborative for Accountability & Improvement at the University of Washington and serves on the Patient Safety Advisory Board for Philips Healthcare and AHRQ’s Technical Expert Panel. She is also a champion for Patients for Patient Safety US.
Leilani's work has been recognized in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN. Her TEDx talk about the need for transparency and compassion in healthcare has been viewed more than 245,000 times and is used in physician and nursing trainings worldwide. She has also been featured on the Ted Radio Hour and RadioLab podcasts, sharing her insights on patient safety and the importance of open communication in healthcare. In addition to her advocacy and healthcare work, Leilani is also an artist, creating large-scale art installations, often in hospitals.


#patientcare  #advocacy,  #healthcare #communication, authentic #disclosure,  #compassion,  #litigation, healthcare workers, bad outcomes, communication models, empathy, trust


Chapters
00:00
Introduction to Healthcare Silence
02:58
Leilani's Journey into Patient Adv

The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the 'Muted in Medicine' podcast or its host. The information shared is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional advice.

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