Miscommunication between hospital staff regularly puts patients at risk, a new study says.
Poor communications between health care workers contributed to 25 percent of hospital incidents that put patients’ safety at risk, researchers reported April 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
What’s more, health worker miscommunication was the sole cause of patient endangerment in 1 out of 10 cases, researchers found.
These cases included medication errors and medical errors that resulted in health-threatening events or near-misses, researchers said.
“Poor communication is a substantial cause of patient safety incidents,” concluded the research team led by Jeremy Howick, a professor at the University of Leicester Medical School in the U.K.
“Our findings highlight the crucial need for health care professionals to develop and maintain effective communication skills to foster strong relationships with their peers and their patients,” the team added.
On average, about 1 in every 20 patients is exposed to preventable harm in health care, researchers said in background notes.
For their paper, researchers pooled results from 46 prior studies involving nearly than 68,000 patients from Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. The studies were published between 2013 and 2024.
Results showed that poor verbal, written, electronic and non-verbal communication was a factor in a quarter of cases where patient safety was threatened.
In one instance, a doctor accidentally shut off a heart medication drip while trying to silence a beeping pump, researchers said. The doctor failed to tell a nurse the drip was stopped, and the patient subsequently developed a dangerously high heartbeat.
In another case, a patient died after a nurse failed to tell a surgeon that the person was experiencing abdominal pains following surgery and had a low red blood cell count, which indicated internal bleeding.
The undetected hemorrhage that killed the patient could have been prevented, researchers said.
More research is needed to figure out why such poor communication exists, and how it can be improved to protect patients, researchers said.
“Health care professionals seeking to enhance their own communication skills may be guided by published reports of communication interventions designed to improve patient safety,” researchers wrote. “These interventions offer standardized approaches to verbal communication between health care professionals, and between health care professionals and patients.”
However, more research is needed “to optimize and develop such interventions further, and to identify which interventions are most effective at improving patient safety,” researchers added.
How health worker miscommunication further harms patients
Beyond medication mix-ups and missed internal bleeding, the insidious harm of poor communication in healthcare erodes the very foundation of trust patients place in their caregivers. When information isn’t shared clearly and accurately between doctors, nurses, and other staff, a fragmented picture of a patient’s condition emerges. This can lead to delays in diagnosis, duplicated tests, and conflicting treatment plans, leaving patients feeling confused, anxious, and ultimately less safe.
Imagine a patient discharged without clear instructions on medication management, leading to errors at home. Or consider the emotional toll on a patient whose concerns are dismissed or misunderstood due to rushed or incomplete communication. These breakdowns not only jeopardize physical well-being but also undermine the patient’s sense of agency and control over their own health journey.
Effective communication isn’t just about relaying facts; it’s about active listening, empathy, and a shared understanding of the patient’s needs and experiences. When healthcare professionals prioritize clear, respectful dialogue with each other and with their patients, they create a safety net that catches potential errors before they cause harm. Investing in communication training and fostering a culture of open dialogue within healthcare settings is not just a matter of best practice – it’s a fundamental requirement for ensuring patient safety and well-being.
More information
Tulane University has more on effective communication in health care.
SOURCES: American College of Physicians, news release, April 14, 2025; Annals of Internal Medicine, April 14, 2025