title: Read-back improves information transfer in simulated clinical crises.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Safe and effective healthcare is frustrated by failures in communication. Repeating back important information (read-back) is thought to enhance the effectiveness of communication across many industries. However, formal communication protocols are uncommon in healthcare teams.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to quantify the effect of read-back on the transfer of information between members of a healthcare team during a simulated clinical crisis. We hypothesised that reading back information provided by other team members would result in better knowledge of that information by the receiver than verbal response without read-back or no verbal response.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postanaesthesia care unit nurses and anaesthetic assistants were given clinically relevant items of information at the start of 88 simulations. A clinical crisis prompted calling an anaesthetist, with no prior knowledge of the patient. Using video recordings of the simulations, we noted each time a piece of information was mentioned to the anaesthetist. Their response was coded as read-back, verbal response without read-back or no verbal response.
  
  
  RESULTS
  If the anaesthetists read back the item of information, or otherwise verbally responded, they were, respectively, 8.27 (p<0.001) or 3.16 (p=0.03) times more likely to know the information compared with no verbal response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that training healthcare teams to use read-back techniques could increase information transfer between team members with the potential for improved patient safety. More work is needed to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cumin
authors.affiliation: University of Auckland School of Medicine, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Braam
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lombard
authors.affiliation: Simulation Centre for Patient Safety, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torrie
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Civil
authors.affiliation: The Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weller
mesh_terms: D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000379:methods*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D009719:Nurse Anesthetists; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards*; D061214:Patient Safety; D016544:Patient Simulation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Communication; Crew resource management; Critical care; Human factors; Teamwork