Best Practices in Patient Safety and Communication.

Emergency medicine is a high-risk area of medical practice, with a high rate of preventable adverse events. This is multifactorial, hinging on the myriad system and processes issues that complicate emergency care. Strong teamwork and communication have been identified as critical components for safe care in emergency medicine. Health care professionals and leaders within emergency medicine can implement solutions aimed at cultivating a strong safety culture, creating processes and system-based approaches to improve patient safety. This article provides an overview of the evidence-based approaches to improve patient safety and communication.