Better Communication Between Caregivers Reduces Medical Errors, Study Finds

Miscommunication among caregivers is one of the largest causes of medical errors, but a new study suggests that the problem is at least partly preventable.

The study at 9 children’s hospitals, led by Boston Children’s Hospital and including Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, tested the effects of a standardized method for medical residents to hand off information about their patients at shift changes. Shorter shifts for residents have increased the number of such handoffs, prompting increased scrutiny of what happens during them.

Read the press release from Stanford Medicine: http://stanford.io/1vxcUqk