Patients Complain About Poor Coordination of Care

According to a recent study, patients may be in the perfect position to identify deficiencies in medical service quality. Patients become more likely to report these deficiencies as medical errors or adverse events occur. While this may seem to give these patients a bias, it also shows the incidence of medical errors or lapses in the quality of service.

If a patient experiences something like poor quality of care or unprofessional behavior, it more than doubles the likelihood that evidence of an adverse event, close call, or low risk error will be found in the patient’s chart. In the study, 228 patients were interviewed during and after their admission. They were asked to identify deficiencies in service quality such as lack of respect for patient needs and preferences, excessive waits or delays, poor communication, environmental issues and amenities, poor coordination of care, and unprofessional behavior.

In reviewing the charts of these patients, 52 incidents were found. Of these, the patients reported 34 adverse events, 11 close calls, and 7 low risk errors. The patients reported every one of the incidents that were confirmed in the charts. It was also found that deficiencies involving poor coordination of care quadrupled the chance of other adverse events and medical errors.

Through this study, one can find that if a patient has complaints, it may be a clue that he or she experienced some deficiency in the quality of service. Listening to these patients and addressing their concerns can be a good way to stop poor performance in the hospital.