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 CNA Hospital Professional Liability Claim Report 2015: Stepping Up to Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety 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. 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, CNA. "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 CNA Healthcare and Risk Control units. For more information, please contact Brandon Davis at 312-822-5167 or Brandon.Davis@cna.com.
About CNA
Serving businesses and professionals since 1897, CNA is the country's eighth largest commercial insurance writer and the 14th largest property and casualty company. CNA's insurance products include standard commercial lines, specialty lines, surety, marine and other property and casualty coverages. CNA's services include risk management, information services, underwriting, risk control and claims administration. For more information, please visit CNA at www.cna.com. "CNA" is a service mark registered by CNA Financial Corporation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Certain CNA Financial Corporation subsidiaries use the "CNA" service mark in connection with insurance underwriting and claims activities.
Follow CNA (NYSE: CNA) on: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube
CONTACT:
Brandon Davis, 312-822-5167 / 312-834-6091
Sarah Pang, 312-822-6394 / 312-607-5544
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130627/NY40132LOGO
SOURCE CNA