Handover and Communication Errors in Imaging Compromise Safety

A study published in the British Journal of Radiologyaimed to identify the type and nature of handover and communication errors—errors that occur when care for a patient or group of patients is transferred from one caregiver to another—within medical imaging settings in Australia.

Hannaford et al. searched the Australian Radiology Events Register for reports containing 71 common terms related to clinical handover and communication. The search yielded 412 confirmed records detailing handover and communication errors. An analysis of these records revealed that problems occurred most frequently when caregivers were...