Poor Communication Major Cause of Patient Safety Events

April 29, 2025

A recent study finds that at least 10% of patient safety events can be attributed to poor communication. In the meta-analysis of 46 studies, 42 explored poor communication alongside other contributing factors. The researchers found that of those 42, poor communication contributed to 24% of patient safety incidents. The remaining four studies focused solely on communication errors and determined they directly caused 13.2% of incidents.

Effective communication among all members of the healthcare team is critical to ensuring patient safety and satisfaction, coordination of care and risk reduction. Everyone on the healthcare team, patients and caregivers benefit from good communication practices. ISMIE offers resources on healthcare team communication and patient communication that offer strategies to help reduce risk and keep patients safe.

For more information, please contact the Risk Management Division by email.