Improving Communication in Healthcare
The Big Problem
You can feel the room change when a patient does not understand. Eyes dart to the clock. Clinicians revert to shorthand. Family members nod to avoid embarrassment. Misunderstandings pile up, and safety takes a hit. Communication failures are among the most frequent drivers of harm, and handoffs are a particular hot spot.1 Incident reports show predictable patterns, from missing information to lack of shared understanding.2 Teams care, but they are busy and human, and the system rarely makes reliable communication effortless. Team training exists and has a strong foundation, yet adoption and fidelity vary by unit, shift, and workload.3
This is a solvable design problem. We can hardwire a few high-value behaviors so patients leave with the right plan, teams share the same mental model, and errors are caught upstream. The playbook is not mysterious. Use proven tools at critical moments, teach in plain language with confirmation, and support shared decisions with clear aids and trained interpreters.4 Leaders who make the safe behavior the easy behavior will see fewer readmissions, fewer wrong-patient errors, and more confident patients and staff.
About the Author
Adam Boros
Adam studied at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine for his MSc and PhD in Developmental Physiology, complemented by an Honours BSc specializing in Biomedical Research from Queen's University. His extensive clinical and research background in women’s health at Mount Sinai Hospital includes significant contributions to initiatives to improve patient comfort, mental health outcomes, and cognitive care. His work has focused on understanding physiological responses and developing practical, patient-centered approaches to enhance well-being. When Adam isn’t working, you can find him playing jazz piano or cooking something adventurous in the kitchen.
