Risk and Safety Issues in Emergency Medicine XVI examines the importance of clear and complete communication in the emergency department (ED). ED personnel are particularly vulnerable to communication missteps due to multiple factors inherent to the setting, including a fast work pace, heavy workloads, a wide range of patient types and patient acuity, and rapid changes in team makeup. However, research shows that effective communication improves patient safety in the ED. This course reviews techniques that can enhance communication at key treatment points: during patient handoff from prehospital providers to ED staff, among ED team members during resuscitation events, and during handoff to staff of an inpatient unit.
