Introductory Chapter: Medical Error and Associated Harm - The The Critical Role of Team Communication and Coordination

Abstract

Healthcare safety is among the most important considerations when designing, building, and managing modern patient care facilities and systems. Among many reasons why healthcare systems have not inherently “evolved into safety” were the combination of provider individualism and the lack of early recognition of the importance of effective communication and coordination as the primary method of ensuring maintenance of safety standards throughout the entire patient care continuum [1]. The first two volumes of the Vignettes in Patient Safety focus on the development of patient safety champions [2] and the continued quest toward “zero error” performance across modern health systems [3].