ArticleEuropean journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society2025
Breaking the silence: communication failures are the leading errors identified in 10-years of trauma morbidity and mortality conferences.
Article in European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite global efforts to reduce trauma-related morbidity and mortality, diagnostic and therapeutic errors occur due to the urgency and complexity of care. Trauma morbidity and mortality (Trauma M&M) conferences aim to identify and address such errors to improve clinical outcomes. While most existing data on Trauma M&M conferences originate from the US, insights from Western Europe remain scarce.
methodsThis single-center, retrospective case series analyzed trauma patients discussed at the monthly Trauma M&M at a Swiss Level I trauma center over 10 years (2013–2022). Data were collected from Trauma M&M records and electronic medical charts, including demographics, injury characteristics, timelines, and documented errors. A novel error categorization system was developed, encompassing communication, skill/knowledge deficits, delays, missed injuries, and deviations from algorithms.
resultsOut of 198 trauma cases reviewed, 189 with complete data were further analyzed. The median Injury Severity Score was 32 (IQR 25–43). Of these patients, 77% died within 90 days. A total of 130 potential errors were identified, with communication errors (n = 29) being the most frequent, followed by skill/knowledge deficits (n = 24) and procedural delays (n = 19). Communication errors often triggered subsequent errors, such as missed diagnoses, under-triage, and deviations from protocols. Discussions during the Trauma M&M led to the introduction or refinement of clinical algorithms, including updates to triage protocols.
conclusionCommunication errors emerged as the leading cause of errors in trauma care, highlighting the need for focused communication training. The Trauma M&M serves as an essential platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, quality improvement, and education. Future research should explore the ripple effects of communication errors and evaluate targeted interventions to optimize trauma care systems.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.