Communication

Communication failures are a leading contributing factor in medmal cases. Our patient safety resources, informed by experts from across the Harvard medical community, help reduce your risk of being sued through case studies, clinical guidelines, podcasts, and more.

Our Case Studies

CRICO's case studies educate you on what can go wrong in clinical settings and how you can prevent similar issues.

Case Study

Communication Issue Leads to Retained Foreign Body

Following successful cranial surgery, a 54-year-old man experienced back and lower extremity pain which was ultimately diagnosed as being related to an intrathecal lumbar catheter left behind at the time of surgery eight months earlier.

Case Study

Overriding Drug Alerts Results in Patient Death

A 61-year-old female with a complex medical history died after being administered contraindicated medications.

Case Study

Fatal Injuries after Inadequate Wound Treatment and Documentation

Poor documentation and inadequate wound treatment at a skilled nursing facility contributed to an elderly patient’s death.

Case Study

Misinterpretation of CT Scan Delays Stroke Diagnosis

A misinterpretation of a stat CT scan result and a lack of communication between providers delays an unresponsive woman’s stroke diagnosis.

View All Case Studies

More Communication

CRICO Grant Spotlight: A Verbal Electronic Surgical Safety Checklist for the Intensive Care Unit

Article

This CRICO grant-funded project showed that an electronic checklist could accurately verbalize information needed for a SICU time-out and could deliver objective information from the EHR at the point of care.

surgeons in OR checking a computer screen

CRICO Grant Spotlight: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Among Women 40–49 in Primary Care

Article

Through a CRICO grant-funded project, Mara Schonberg, MD, MPH, sought to learn if providing women age 40-49 with information about their risk of breast cancer is useful to them when deciding on breast cancer screening and prevention interventions. Participants completed a pre-test, received their personalized breast cancer risk report, saw their primary care clinician, and completed a post-test.

doctor and patient in virtual appointment

Advisory: Detecting and Reporting Patient Safety Risks in Virtual Care Delivery

Article

On September 23, 2021, the Academic Medical Center Patient Safety Organization (AMC PSO), in association with the Alliance for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (AQIPS), hosted the first National Safe Table for PSOs on the topic of detecting and reporting patient safety risks associated with virtual care delivery.

See all

Can Your Patient Understand Your Instructions?

Failed Physician-Nurse Communication

Malpractice Risks in Communication Failures

Informed Consent Basics

Our Case Studies

Communication Issue Leads to Retained Foreign Body

Overriding Drug Alerts Results in Patient Death

Fatal Injuries after Inadequate Wound Treatment and Documentation

Misinterpretation of CT Scan Delays Stroke Diagnosis

More Communication

CRICO Grant Spotlight: A Verbal Electronic Surgical Safety Checklist for the Intensive Care Unit

CRICO Grant Spotlight: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Among Women 40–49 in Primary Care

Advisory: Detecting and Reporting Patient Safety Risks in Virtual Care Delivery

About CRICO

CME Opportunities

Patient Safety & Claims