How Miscommunications Cause Harm in the Medical Field

Communication defines the success of any medical care received. The more you know, as a patient, the better you can make decisions about your care. However, this standard of information applies within the medical field in many additional ways. Miscommunication can cause harm in the medical field that is often fully avoidable. A Springfield medical malpractice attorney from Holley, Rosen & Beard, LLC, can be of assistance in this situation.

Miscommunication Between Doctors and Nurses

If a nurse does not understand or does not remember the required treatment or specific information provided by a doctor, they may fail to provide the patient with the type and level of care they need, which could lead to a medical malpractice claim. There are several common ways this occurs:

• Poor documentation: If there is no documentation or mistakes within that documentation, including the use of the wrong words or shortened phrases, that can lead to mistakes in patient records and care plans.
• Lack of emphasis: This occurs when the doctor does not know the most important care or the priorities of the patient. Since the nurse often speaks to the patient prior to the doctor, this lack of communication can lead to misdiagnosis or care that is simply not provided.
• Long wait times: When poor documentation or communication happens, patients wait. In some cases, patients wait so long that their condition worsens or they face more intense treatment needs.

Miscommunication Between Nurses

Another potential way that miscommunication harms patients is when nurses do not communicate effectively with each other. For example, if nurses within a hospital are switching from one shift to the next, and there is a failure to communicate the care needs, concerns, or even medical treatment needs of the patient, the patient’s health could be on the line.

If a nurse believes another nurse is providing care because of miscommunication, that can lead to concerns about patient satisfaction and missed opportunities for care.

Miscommunication Between Providers and Patients

Miscommunications can also happen between patients and providers. Some of the most common causes of this include:

• Improper treatment or lack of treatment given because the doctor does not understand the concern
• A patient that is difficult to understand or a doctor that is difficult to understand could make mistakes in diagnosing and treating a patient
• A patient who does not understand or is not told the proper instructions for their care could face ongoing injury and risk, such as not completing medication management because they did not know what medications to take when they went home from the hospital
• Unnecessary visits and complications occur as a result of lack of communication, causing health risks as well as leading to potentially costly unnecessary care

Miscommunication in the medical field impacts patient care and well-being in many ways. Simple oversights by busy professionals can create a clear roadblock in providing patients with life-saving and necessary care. More so, it can lead to medical malpractice instances where mistakes are made that cost the patient their life or their health because a doctor or hospital fails to provide the expected level of care for the patient’s specific needs and goals. Call a Springfield medical malpractice attorney from Holley, Rosen & Beard, LLC, today for a free consultation.