An overwhelming majority of the public (88%) says that physicians should be required to tell their patients if a mistake is made in their treatment. More than half of the public also says that they trust their own doctor to tell them if a mistake were made in their treatment (23% say their doctor would be “very” likely to tell them, and another 31% say it’s “somewhat” likely).

However, among those who report having personal experience with a preventable medical error (either themselves or in their family), fewer than three in ten (28%) say that the doctor or health professional involved told them about the mistake.