Poor communication between departments in a healthcare setting is a common factor in medical malpractice cases. Departments that handle a patient should be adequately informed during handoffs to avoid harming the patient.
Here is how poor communication can result in a medical mistake:
Miscommunication about a patient’s symptoms
A healthcare provider who records a patient’s symptoms should provide adequate information to another professional who handles the patient, perhaps during shift changes or a referral. If the subsequent caregiver is not well-informed about a patient’s symptoms, a misdiagnosis is likely to happen.
Cases of a healthcare provider not writing down all the symptoms a patient informs them about and passing the incomplete notes to another professional have been reported.
Not communicating a patient’s allergy
Failure to record a patient’s allergies can lead to medication errors. A doctor may prescribe a medication a patient is allergic to because a healthcare provider who handled the patient before failed to communicate such crucial information despite the patient providing it.
Incorrectly entering data related to a patient’s allergies in electronic health records (EHRs), for instance, recording it in the wrong section, can also lead to medication errors.
Miscommunication among members of a surgical team
Different healthcare professionals handle patients scheduled for operation. These include a primary care physician, an anesthesiologist, a nurse, a surgical technologist and a surgeon. If there is any miscommunication among these parties, cases of wrong site, wrong person and wrong procedure can be reported.
Other surgical errors that can occur as a result include leaving foreign objects in a patient’s body, incorrect medication administration and poor follow-up care.
Failure to pass on important information about a patient is a major problem in the medical field. If you or your loved one was harmed due to poor communication between healthcare providers, learn more to make informed decisions.