Mediator Training and Accreditation for Medical Personnel

When healthcare and medical conflicts arise, early and appropriate use of mediation can greatly increase the chance of amicable resolution. Reduced risk of conflict escalation assists healthcare institutions in managing the cost of conflict, protects the mental well-being of its staff, and allows for constructive feedback from patients and caregivers to improve future treatment protocols and procedures.

In 2023, Sage Mediation worked with senior medical professionals from Singapore’s healthcare groups to deliver a mediator training and certification programme. This initiative aimed to equip the participants with the skills and confidence to handle real healthcare and medical conflicts. The hope was also to expand the pool of mediators with medical expertise so that they could assist in the mediation of complex medical disputes.

To prepare for the workshop, Sage Mediation trainers worked with doctors, medical lawyers, and hospital administrators to design multiple conflict scenarios based on real case studies. The programme was conducted in the hospitals and was structured to match the participants’ busy schedules so that they could participate in-person and online.

The use of mediation allowed participants to realise the power of constructive conversations in de-escalating tense situations, managing sensitive demands for apologies and compensations, and how to bring about emotional closure for the patients, their families and their caregivers. They also learnt more about Singapore’s legislative support for mediated outcomes and the role of mediation advocates such as representatives and legal counsel in a mediation.

Through interacting closely with the Sage Mediation mediators and their peers from different healthcare groups, participants realised the usefulness of mediation and the presence of a mediator at the right time. At the end of the project, around 30 participants took the rigorous assessment to become accredited mediators.