This book was conceived in response to the increasing recognition of the central role of communication in effective healthcare delivery, particularly in high-stress contexts. Over a three-year period, the research team investigated communication between patients and clinicians in five representative emergency departments (EDs). The book describes the communicative complexity and intensity of work in the ED and identifies the features of successful patient-clinician interactions. Drawing on authentic examples of communication within the ED, the book provides comprehensive communication strategies for healthcare professionals that can be readily integrated into everyday practice. 'Professor Diana Slade and her colleagues have written an innovative and practical book on communication and relationships in emergency departments and their effects on the patient experience. Rarely does one find a book that so seamlessly translates research findings into practical action strategies. The book is an invaluable resource for the training of physicians, nurses, hospital administrators and others in healthcare.' - Elizabeth A. Rider, MSW, MD, FAAP, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School 'My participation in the UTS Emergency Communication project provided extraordinary insights into the complexities and subtleties of communication encounters during a patient's emergency department journey. This project has made a lasting impact on my daily work, and I hope will improve emergency patient care into the future.' - Dr Nick Taylor, Emergency Medicine Specialist, The Canberra Hospital 'The captured clinical conversations between doctors, nurses and patients are fascinating... The discussion and conclusions provide a rare insight into an integral and critical component of Emergency Medicine practice. The team, led by Professor Slade, was truly unobtrusive, professional and personable.' - Dr Marian Lee, Emergency Physician, Director of Emergency Medicine Training

Based on detailed multi-disciplinary analyses of more than 800 recorded handover interactions, audits of written handover documentation, interviews and survey responses, the contributing authors identify features of effective and ineffective clinical handovers in diverse hospital contexts. The authors then translate their descriptive findings into practical protocols, communication strategies and checklists that clinicians, managers and policy makers can apply to improve the safety and quality of clinical handovers. All the contributors are affiliated with the International Research Centre for Communication in Healthcare (IRCCH), an international multidisciplinary organisation of over 90 healthcare professionals from more than 17 countries committed to improving improving communication in healthcare systems around the world. 'The authors have created a new and tightly woven systems safety net that will, if implemented, significantly reduce the occurrence of errors resulting from cumulative communication failures.' -H. Esterbrook Longmaid III, MD, FACR, President of Medical Staff, Beth Israel Deaconess-Milton Hospital, Milton, MA USA 'Uncommonly valuable for the rigorous, original communication research it reports and for the careful translation of the research findings into practical strategies that actually improve clinical handovers in the real world of practice.' -Professor Suzanne Kurtz, Washington State University 'This clear, plain English book is an outstanding resource for the training of all involved in healthcare.' -Elizabeth Trickett, (Former) Director of Safety and Quality, ACT Health, Australia