Interprofessional Communication in Medicine – When Misunderstandings Cause Adverse Outcomes for Patients

Medical malpractice claims often deal with the interplay between different healthcare professionals providing treatment to the plaintiff. To prepare for these claims, counsel must seek out expert evidence as to what physicians of different specialities would expect to be communicated to them by their colleagues, in order to determine whether any communication errors led to a patient’s injuries.

1. Bauer v. Seager et al, 2000 MBQB 113 at para. 43(a).
2. Andrew A. White et al, “Cause and effect analysis of closed claims in obstetrics and gynecology” Obstetrics and Gynecology 105:1 (2005).
3. Gisele Silvestre Belber at al, “Telehealth use in primary healthcare collaborative interprofessional practice: protocol for a scoping review” British Medical Journal Open 13:3 (2023).
4. Brian Hodges, “What are we doing about Canada’s health human resource crisis?” Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (November 14, 2023); Dawn Prentice et al, “Nursing care delivery models and intraprofessional collaborative care: Canadian nurse leaders’ perspectives” SAGE Open Nursing (October 19, 2022).
5. See “2003 First Ministers Health Accord” Health Canada (2003), at https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/health-care-system-delivery/federal-provincial-territorial-collaboration/2003-first-ministers-accord-health-care-renewal/2003-first-ministers-health-accord.html.
6. “Collaborative care: a medical-liability perspective” Canadian Medical Protective Association (September 2007).
7. CMPA, ibid.
8. See Briante v. Vancouver Island Health Authority, 2014 BCSC 1511 at para. 265; affirmed in Gilmore v. Love, 2023 BCSC 1380 at para. 15.
9. See Gemoto v. Calgary Regional Health Authority, 2006 ABQB 740 at para. 317, affirmed in Gilmore, ibid, at para. 251.
10. [1996] O.J. 2129 (Gen. Div.)
11. Ibid at para. 10.
12. 2017 BCCA 148, appealed from Briante, supra endnote 8.
13. Briante trial decision, supra endnote 8 at para. 8.
14. Briante trial decision, supra endnote 8 at para. 272.
15. Briante appeal decision, supra endnote 12 at para. 131
16. Gilmore, supra endnote 8.
17. Ibid at para. 4.
18. Ibid at para. 271.
19. Ibid at para. 6.
20. Ibid at para. 322.
21. Ibid at para. 10.
22. Ibid at para. 26.
23. Ibid at para. 327.
24. Ibid at para. 112.
25. Ibid at para. 325.
26. Ibid at para. 329.
27. Ibid at para. 398.
28. Ibid at para. 459.
29. Ibid at para. 427.
30. Ibid at para. 519.