Poor Communication and Teamwork from Surgeons Linked with Increased Likelihood of Malpractice Claims

Using data from CRICO’s database, researchers compared claims for 264 surgeons at Harvard-affiliated hospitals with the scores from their 360-degree performance reviews. “This is the first study to establish a correlation between performance reviews and malpractice claims,” said lead author Dr. Janaka Lagoo, a surgical research fellow at Ariadne Labs. “The findings suggest that everyday negative conduct by surgeons toward their colleagues can have real implications for care, even when surgeons are highly skilled technically.” This CRICO-funded study adds to the growing literature around what factors affect patient safety and what can be done to make improvements.

Citation for the Full-text Article

Poor communication and teamwork from surgeons linked with increased likelihood of malpractice claims. Ariadnelabs.org. Published May 15, 2018.

Related Study

Multisource Evaluation of Surgeon Behavior is Associated with Malpractice Claims