How do patients and families perceive forgiveness in response to medical errors, and what factors influence their willingness to forgive healthcare providers? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand

Abstract

Medical errors are an unfortunate yet inevitable part of healthcare often causing psychological, emotional and physiological distress for patients and families. In the context of medical errors, forgiveness is a complicated and multidimensional phenomenon that can have a significant impact on the relationship between patients, families, providers, confidence in the healthcare system, and the broader healing process. This thesis explores how patients and their families perceive forgiveness following a medical error and the factors that shape their willingness to forgive healthcare providers. A thematic analysis was carried out using publicly available podcasts in which individuals shared their personal experiences with medical errors. Through thematic analysis of these narratives, five superordinate themes were identified. The first theme, emotional responses of victims, describes the complex emotional process of grief, anger, and eventually acceptance. The second theme, desired communication from offender, highlights the critical role of open, honest and empathetic communication from healthcare providers. The third theme, the influence of connection, investigates the influence of trust and continuity in the patient-provider relationship, interpersonal support networks, and perceived compassion as powerful elements in the healing process and willingness to forgive. The fourth theme, attribution of responsibility, explores how individuals in the study navigate issues of blame by considering both systemic and human contributions to medical errors. The final theme, advocating for change, explores how the individuals in the study find meaning and healing in their journey through efforts to improve healthcare and patient safety. This thesis contributes to an emerging body of literature on patient-centred responses to medical error, highlighting that forgiveness is not uniform or linear but rather a multifaceted journey shaped by individual experience. The findings further highlight the need for healthcare systems to adopt more transparent, compassionate, and communicative practices to facilitate emotional healing, reconciliation, and forgiveness in the aftermath of medical errors.