Articles Tagged With: communication
-
Many ED Malpractice Claims Are Rooted in Poor Communication
Most ED patients are, at some point, handed off to other providers — admitting physicians, the ICU team, on-call consultants, or primary care physicians. Good communication is crucial in the ED. -
When ED Providers Overlook Information Conveyed by EMS
The emergency physician and ED nurse should take the report together when EMS arrives. Listen to what EMS found at the scene, what they did in terms of treatment, and what the response to that treatment was. Together, decide on the next steps.
-
Detailed Charting on Handoffs Stops Legal Finger-Pointing
The ED chart should include a concise summary of the clinical information that was conveyed, a plan for disposition and next steps in care, and a clear transition of care.
-
Many ED Malpractice Claims Are Rooted in Poor Communication
Securing buy-in from hospital administrators to make investments to improve patient safety, including handoff communication in the ED, can be challenging. Compelling anecdotes about cases when things went terribly wrong can grab leaders’ attention. Showing hard numbers demonstrates the financial burden of medical malpractice.
-
Neurologists Add Nuance to Palliative Care Definition
Position paper authors underscore the importance of care goals discussions with patients and families throughout the disease course, not just at end of life.
-
ED Patient Feedback Can Reveal Patient Safety Risks
Valuable patient feedback often is ignored or disregarded in hectic EDs to the detriment of safety. -
Worklist Project Improves Communication and Handoffs
A team of nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital developed a way to improve communication between nurses and patient care associates that helped reduce falls and infections. The effort decreased falls by 25%, catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 50%, and hospital-acquired pressure injuries by 33%. -
Safety Incident Reports Often Compromised by Blaming
Healthcare organizations encourage and sometimes require staff to file safety incident reports after any kind of mishap. But many of those reports include improper accusations of wrongdoing and blaming individuals. This undermines the value of the incident reports. -
Improving Patient Handoffs Helps Reduce Malpractice Claims
Patient handoffs affect safety, although it is possible malpractice risk is a downstream effect. A large study of malpractice claims revealed a direct relationship between the quality of patient handoffs and claims. -
Want to Retain and Support Staff? Better Communication from Leadership Helps
Hospital nurses need effective communication from leadership to help them cope with the long COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a recent study. Nurses also need to be part of leadership gatherings, local meetings, and decision-making to share their daily experiences and help find solutions to the unprecedented emergencies created during the past two years.