D. Maurice Pickard discusses with Dr. David Mayer the "how" and "when" of disclosing adverse patient outcomes and medical errors, which has proven to be a difficult challenge for the medical profession. In the wake of medical errors, families want to know what problems have been recognized, and the steps taken to prevent their medical care from faltering again. Dr. Mayer then speaks about the training process in communicative skills for medical students, including how to apologize.