Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

When Doctors Don't Talk to Doctors

This New York Times blog was written by a resident in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. She describes two patient encounters. First, a family decided on a course of action and before she knew it, another physician went ahead with a procedure the family decided against. Second, a patient received three visits at her bedside by three different physicians, each telling her a completely different procedure.

Review other HPOE resources on improving communication.

• Improving Patient Safety Culture through Teamwork and Communication: TeamSTEPPS
• Implementation of TeamSTEPPS to Improve Communication, Patient Outcomes and Reduce Clinical Errors
• Closing the Communication Loop
• Improving and Sustaining Teamwork

Vist the AHA's Physician Leadership Forum for other resources tailored to doctors.