CHICAGO, May 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent announcement from researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine highlighted that medical errors at hospitals and other large healthcare facilities should rank as the third leading cause of deaths in the United States. The findings of the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½  identify patient death as the most common injury in closed claims over the ten-year period analyzed in the insurance company's publication.
The report's analysis regarding patient deaths revealed that:
In discussing the John's Hopkins findings, one of the researchers noted that patient handoffs in an emergency department represent a significant vulnerability in the hospital setting. Â Frequently, healthcare professionals inadvertently fail to convey critical patient information to one another.
"Communication among healthcare providers is critical in any situation, but particularly in an emergency department," said Joyce Benton, Assistant Vice President, Risk Control, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½. "Research has shown that ineffective or inadequate communication is a major factor in medical errors and near-misses, especially during handoffs and other transitions in care."
The Hospital Professional Liability Claim Report recommendations related to improving communication include:
The Hospital Professional Liability Claim Report 2015 is a publication of the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Healthcare and Risk Control units. For more information, please contact Brandon Davis at 312-822-5167 or Brandon.Davis@cna.com.
About ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½
Serving businesses and professionals since 1897, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ is the country's eighth largest commercial insurance writer and the 14th largest property and casualty company. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s insurance products include standard commercial lines, specialty lines, surety, marine and other property and casualty coverages. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½'s services include risk management, information services, underwriting, risk control and claims administration. For more information, please visit ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ at . "ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½" is a service mark registered by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Financial Corporation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Certain ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Financial Corporation subsidiaries use the "ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½" service mark in connection with insurance underwriting and claims activities. Â
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CONTACT:
Brandon Davis, 312-822-5167 / 312-834-6091
Sarah Pang, 312-822-6394 / 312-607-5544
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