Words Left Unwritten, Unspoken, Or Misconstrued—Communication and Documentation Failures Causing Poor Patient Outcomes: An Analysis of 13 Years of CRNA Malpractice Claims (1 Class A CE)

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM CT

Location: CC- Level 2- Meeting Room 205 A-C

Speaker(s)

Julie Brightwell, JD, RN, CPHRM

Director, Patient Safety
The Doctors Company
Coronado, California, United States
Jacqueline Ross, PhD, RN

Data Analysis and Coding Director
The Doctors Company
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, United States

Slides

Communication and documentation failures are leading causes of patient harm. This presentation will focus on communication and documentation issues identified in CRNA closed malpractice claims from 2011-2023. The contributing factors to claims, including the primary drivers that were crucial to the outcome or initiation of the claim, will be explored. CRNA clinical case examples will be discussed to highlight communication and documentation mishaps. Risk mitigation and preventative strategies will be shared to improve CRNA practice.

Learning Objectives:

Describe three common types of communication and documentation failures found in CRNA malpractice cases.
Identify the three most frequent contributing factors related to communication and documentation issues involved in CRNA malpractice claims.
Identify two preventive strategies to reduce communication and documentation failures associated with CRNA malpractice claims.