Impact of the quality of interprofessional medical communication on prescribing errors

Abstract

Healthcare systems face critical challenges associated with interprofessional communication, the lack of which increases the risk of prescription errors and compromises patient safety. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between the quality of medical interprofessional communication and the occurrence of prescription errors in a maternity clinic in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. The problem addressed was the influence of poor communication on therapeutic safety. A non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational design was used, applying a Likert-type questionnaire to 31 physicians and analyzing the variables using mixed methods with the support of JASP software. The results showed that communication was perceived as clear and respectful, although limited by work overload. Informational clarity showed a negative correlation with prescription errors (ρ = -0.540; p = 0.002), while coordination and joint review were associated with error reporting and the implementation of corrective measures. It is concluded that effective communication is a determining factor in preventing errors and strengthening patient safety.