Impacts of communication type and quality on patient safety incidents: A systematic review (15 April 2025)

Summary

Poor communication in healthcare increases the risk for patient safety incidents. However, there is no up-to-date synthesis of these data.

The aim of this study was to synthesise studies investigating how poor communication between healthcare practitioners and patients (and between different groups of practitioners) affects patient safety.

The study found that poor communication is a major cause of patient safety incidents. Research is needed to develop effective interventions and to learn more about how poor communication leads to patient safety incidents.