Communication failures contributing to patient injury in anaesthesia malpractice claims.
Douglas RN, Stephens LS, Posner KL, et al. Communication failures contributing to patient injury in anaesthesia malpractice claims. Br J Anaesth. 2021;127(3):470-478. doi:10.1016/j.bja.2021.05.030.
Effective communication among providers helps ensure patient safety. Through analysis of perioperative malpractice claims using the Anesthesia Closed Claims Project database, researchers found that communication failures contributed to 43% of total claims, with the majority between the anesthesiologist/anesthesia team and the surgeon/surgery team. Methods to improve perioperative communication are discussed.