Opinion: How to improve hospital ED communications

A growing body of evidence indicates quality medical care in the emergency department may be enhanced or eclipsed by patients' experiences with their medical providers. For example, the Joint Commission performed a study to find root causes for all reported sentinel events between 1995 and 2005. Its findings indicate poor communications was the most common cause of negative events in the United States (68%). Meanwhile, lack of technical competence was responsible for only 20% of events.