Communication of preclinical emergency teams in critical situations: A nationwide study.

<h4>Background</h4>The emergency medical service as a high-risk workplace is a danger to patient safety. A main factor for patient safety, but also at the same time a main factor for patient harm, is team communication. Team communication is multidimensional and occurs before, during, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Matthias Zimmer, Daria Magdalena Czarniecki, Stephan Sahm
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0250932&type=printable
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Summary:<h4>Background</h4>The emergency medical service as a high-risk workplace is a danger to patient safety. A main factor for patient safety, but also at the same time a main factor for patient harm, is team communication. Team communication is multidimensional and occurs before, during, and after the patient's treatment.<h4>Methods</h4>In an online based, anonymous and single-blinded study, medical and non-medical employees in the emergency medical services were asked about team communication, and communication errors.<h4>Results</h4>Seven hundred and fourteen medical and non-medical rescue workers from all over Germany took part. Among them, 72.0% had harmed at least one patient during their work. With imprecise communication, 81.7% rarely asked for clarification. Also, 66.3% saw leadership behavior as the cause of poor communication; 46.0% could not talk to their superiors about errors. Of note, 96.3% would like joint training of medical and non-medical employees in communication.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Deficits in team communication occur frequently in the rescue service. There is a clear need for uniform training in team and communication skills in all professions.
ISSN:1932-6203