<p>Effective teamwork and communication is critical to the delivery of safe and reliable patient care. Communication breakdowns account for the overwhelming majority of sentinel events. Effective teamwork and communication can help prevent mistakes and decrease patient risk. The implementation of simple tools and behaviors can greatly enhance patient safety and improve perceptions of teamwork.</p>
<p>The potential threat of a pandemic influenza outbreak has placed emergency preparedness in the health care spotlight. Hospitals are increasingly gearing up readiness plans in preparation. Most of these plans are related to the implementation of protocols and stockpiling of supplies, medications, and equipment. These plans are dependent on staff for implementation, but will nurses’ duty to care for patients outweigh their competing obligations to their families and the risk of their own exposure?</p>
Although there is general agreement regarding disclosing adverse events to patients and their families, much of the focus in the literature has been on the physician-patient relationship. Nurses are intimately involved in the day-to-day care of patients and their families. This column explores the role of nurses in disclosure and apology.
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