Pre-Telluride Post: Communication and Patient Safety

My name is Brian Nevitt and I am a PGY3 anesthesia resident at Georgetown University Hospital. I chose to attend the Telluride Experience because as an anesthesia resident I have begun to really appreciate how important communication is to ensuring safe and reliable patient care.  All too often I see mistakes made because of ineffective communication or a lack thereof.  As an anesthesia resident, my interactions with such a wide array of healthcare providers has inspired my desire to be an advocate for patient safety. In this sense, I have become particularly interested in how anesthesia training influences patient safety outcomes.  Anesthesia training requires a lot of on-the-job learning and many times communication can break down.  Along with several of my colleagues we are currently working to develop a cognitive aid for incoming anesthesia residents to assist in their transition to practicing anesthesiology.  We hope that with this guidance, residents will have a smoother transition in their training while also providing safe and reliable patient care.  I hope to take what I learn at the Telluride Experience and apply it to not only my daily practice but also to projects such as this so I can improve the safety and quality of patient care in our department.