Imagine what might lead to the worst outcomes in healthcare. It doesn’t actually have to happen but it might help to identify what could go wrong before it ever does. In most cases it will be a failure to communicate.
Ineffective hand-off communication is recognized as a critical patient safety problem in health care; in fact, an estimated 80% of serious medical errors involve miscommunication between caregivers during the transfer of patients. The hand-off process involves “senders,” those caregivers transmitting patient information and transitioning the care of a patient to the next clinician, and “receivers,” those caregivers who accept the patient information and care of that patient. In addition to causing patient harm, defective hand-offs can lead to delays in treatment, inappropriate treatment, and increased length of stay in the hospital. Joint Commission Perspectives
Much of what might make a difference needs those involved in whatever role to do basic things.
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