EMS World Expo 2018

Experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of patients die in the United States each year because of medical errors—and countless others survive but with worse outcomes, longer hospital stays, and bigger medical bills. The Joint Commission says 80 percent of serious errors are caused by miscommunication during patient handoffs. EMS providers know firsthand how radio call-ins can be misheard and bedside reports ignored in the chaotic environment that often accompanies treating and transferring care of a critical patient. But these miscommunications can lead to delays in care that may cost a STEMI patient her life or a stroke patient his ability to fully recover. Systems of emergency care should tackle this crisis in communication like they would any other public health issue that is one of the leading causes of death. Communities can no longer ignore a crisis in communication that is killing thousands of people—and it’s up to us to tackle the problem now.