Communication

Communication failures are a leading contributing factor in medmal cases. Our patient safety resources, informed by experts from across the Harvard medical community, help reduce your risk of being sued through case studies, clinical guidelines, podcasts, and more.

Our Case Studies

CRICO's case studies educate you on what can go wrong in clinical settings and how you can prevent similar issues.

Case Study

Inadequate Screening of Patient with Substance Use Disorder Has Fatal Ending

A middle-aged adult with a history of depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder died by suicide after not receiving adequate screening, referrals, or follow-up.

Case Study

Inadequate Documentation Complicates Review of Chest Tube Placement

A patient received a settlement after experiencing a liver laceration following a chest tube placement, which required emergent surgery and prolonged hospitalization. Poor documentation put the provider’s technique and standard of care into question.

Case Study

Unwitnessed Fall Highlights Gaps in Documentation

A patient’s unwitnessed fall in the emergency department (ED) was not documented until the patient returned for further evaluation. Late documentation can be perceived as defensive and may make it difficult to defend care later if there is a lawsuit.

Case Study

Lack of Follow-up Leads to Renal Cell Cancer Diagnosis Delay and Death

A woman’s delayed follow-up on a kidney mass due to cost leads to terminal kidney cancer.

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More Communication

PULSE Coaching Best Practices

Article

Best practices for implementing a successful coaching program within your institution, using the PULSE 360 Program as a foundational tool.

woman involved in a serious conversation with an unseen person

surgeons in OR checking a computer screen

CRICO Grant Spotlight: A Verbal Electronic Surgical Safety Checklist for the Intensive Care Unit

Article

This CRICO grant-funded project showed that an electronic checklist could accurately verbalize information needed for a SICU time-out and could deliver objective information from the EHR at the point of care.

CRICO Grant Spotlight: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Among Women 40–49 in Primary Care

Article

Through a CRICO grant-funded project, Mara Schonberg, MD, MPH, sought to learn if providing women age 40-49 with information about their risk of breast cancer is useful to them when deciding on breast cancer screening and prevention interventions. Participants completed a pre-test, received their personalized breast cancer risk report, saw their primary care clinician, and completed a post-test.

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Can Your Patient Understand Your Instructions?

Failed Physician-Nurse Communication

Malpractice Risks in Communication Failures

Informed Consent Basics

Our Case Studies

Inadequate Screening of Patient with Substance Use Disorder Has Fatal Ending

Inadequate Documentation Complicates Review of Chest Tube Placement

Unwitnessed Fall Highlights Gaps in Documentation

Lack of Follow-up Leads to Renal Cell Cancer Diagnosis Delay and Death

More Communication

PULSE Coaching Best Practices

CRICO Grant Spotlight: A Verbal Electronic Surgical Safety Checklist for the Intensive Care Unit

CRICO Grant Spotlight: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Among Women 40–49 in Primary Care

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