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

Medication Mix-up Contributes to Patient’s Death

A nurse gave the wrong medication to a pneumonia patient, causing a fatal heart issue.

Related To: Claims, Medication, Nursing

Case Study

When Test Results Go Unspoken

An abnormal finding from a computed tomography angiogram (CTA) scan was not communicated to the patient, leading to a delayed diagnosis of lung cancer and shortened life expectancy.

Case Study

Despite Advances in Technology, Retained Surgical Items Still Occur

A patient required additional surgery to remove a retained foreign item.

Related To: Claims, Surgery

Case Study

Delayed Breast Cancer Diagnosis due to Automated EHR Report Error

A 45-year-old woman’s abnormal screening mammogram result remained in a draft report due to an EHR automation flaw that defaulted to “normal,” leading to an incorrect notification, an 18-month delay in diagnosis of stage II breast cancer.

Related To: Claims, Diagnosis

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More Communication

PULSE Coaching Best Practices

Article

Best practices for implementing a successful coaching program within your institution, using the PULSE 360 Program as a foundational tool.

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.

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.

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Can Your Patient Understand Your Instructions?

Failed Physician-Nurse Communication

Communication Failures: A Persistent Risk

Informed Consent Basics

Our Case Studies

Medication Mix-up Contributes to Patient’s Death

When Test Results Go Unspoken

Despite Advances in Technology, Retained Surgical Items Still Occur

Delayed Breast Cancer Diagnosis due to Automated EHR Report Error

More Communication

PULSE Coaching Best Practices

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

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CME Opportunities

Patient Safety & Claims