A new study of hospital emergency rooms has shown how communication breakdowns between patients and medical staff can lead to problems in treatment delivery and potentially reduced patient safety.
The research was carried out over three years and involved more than 1000 hours of direct observation, 150 interviews and included audio recordings of 82 patients during their consultations.
The lead researcher in the study said it was one of the largest projects internationally of its kind and had provided evidence of how miscommunication between doctors and patients affects their understanding of a diagnosis and their compliance with treatment, revealing a need for better training of emergency department clinicians.
Read more at University of Technology Sydney