The Art of Crisis Management

The Art of Crisis Management PDF

The Art of Crisis Management

1. A leader must step forward and take ownership of the problem.
2. The spokesperson should tell the truth, tell it all and tell it fast.
3. The spokesperson should not take a defensive, defiant stand, but instead, offer the wronged party a sincere apology in as personal a manner as possible.
4. The organization must take steps to ensure the problem never occurs again and let everyone know what these steps are and that the organization is taking them.

In letters sent in early January to patients, Duke did provide the name and number of a medical officer as a contact for patients experiencing problems. But the PR crisis was exacerbated when the hospital appeared to be dismissive of patients’ concerns, stating that a certain percentage of surgical patients experience complications, and besides, Duke’s November and December statistics were not any higher than the norm.

Citing cold statistics did not make any of the affected patients rest easier. An apology would have worked far better. A grassroots advocacy group, Sorry Works! indicates that hospitals and physicians should never withdraw behind a wall of silence, but should talk to families freely and openly. Patients want to hear an apology and an explanation of what happened. They want to be reassured that corrective action has been taken so that someone else will not be forced to go through what they did.

Patients often turn to lawyers out of anger and frustration when doctors and hospitals stop communicating with them. The widely-held belief among health professionals that admitting responsibility and apologizing will bring on malpractice suits and be used against them in court is a myth, according to Sorry Works!

What is surprising is that Duke failed to handle the hydraulic fluid incident any better after having gone through a previous PR crisis in 2003, when doctors transplanted a heart and lungs with the wrong blood type into a patient who subsequently died. The hospital also stayed silent for several days in that case.

Next: Develop a Crisis Communication Plan Ahead of Time