Family Engagement in Safety Reporting

Miscommunications are a leading cause of serious medical errors in hospitals, contributing to more than 60% of sentinel events, the most serious adverse events reported to the Joint Commission. Efforts to improve patient safety in hospitals have centered on improving communication between providers. While provider-focused communication interventions have led to reductions in patient harm, patients and families have been notably absent from most interventions to improve patient safety. This proposal seeks to develop a family safety reporting intervention.