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In this Edition: Missed Pediatric Red Flags Lead to Fatal Clinical Deterioration, Beyond Burnout, and More

Jun 25, 2026

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Missed Pediatric Red Flags Lead to Fatal Clinical Deterioration

Case Study

A pediatric patient with known prenatal, neonatal, and chronic medical risk factors experienced catastrophic outcomes due to failures in recognizing red flags, inadequate follow-up, delayed escalation of care, and gaps in supervision across multiple care settings.
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Five Ways to Foster Mental Resilience for Stressful Times
The June observance of Healthcare Risk Management Week and National Safety Month gives a timely reminder for attending physicians to prepare for the arrival of new physician trainees in July. Claims data suggest that focused supervision in key areas, such as communication, teamwork, diagnostics, documentation, and medication administration, can help trainees provide safer patient care from day one.

These five tips and related articles can help reinforce those priorities: 

Fix Communication Gaps Before They Cause Harm
Model clear, structured conversations by ensuring trainees explain decisions, confirm patient understanding, and close the loop on next steps.

Read more: Provider–Patient Communication Failures

Tighten Team Communication at Every Handoff
Prevent missed or delayed care by reinforcing structured handoffs, clear escalation expectations, and shared accountability across care teams.

Read more: Team Up for Patient Safety

Close the Loop on Diagnostic Risk
Reduce missed diagnoses by emphasizing consistent follow‑through on test results, timely escalation, and accountability for next steps in care.

Read more: Cancer Prevention Awareness and the Reality of Diagnostic Risk

Make Documentation Clear, Not Defensive
Improve safety and defensibility by coaching trainees to clearly document clinical reasoning—not just actions.

Read more: Patient-Centered Documentation in a Liability-Pressured World

Reinforce Medication Safety and Supervision Early
Set clear communication and escalation expectations and actively oversee medication ordering, reconciliation, and administration to prevent common trainee errors in this high-frequency trainee risk area.

Read more: Mitigating Medication Mistakes

Beyond Burnout

Strategies for Patient Safety

Burnout is often treated as an individual wellness issue. But in healthcare settings, the underlying operational problem may be cognitive overload; the accumulation of mental demands that erodes clinical decision-making and increases patient safety risks.

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Strategies for Patient Safety
New Episode: MedMal Insider

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No Note About Patient Refusal of Test Before Missed Cancer

Related To: Ambulatory,  Claims,  Communication,  Diagnosis,  Documentation,  EHR,  General Medicine

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First Published – June 25, 2026
Related To: Communication,  Publications

FAQ

CME FAQs

Related To: Emergency Medicine,  General Medicine,  Nursing,  Obstetrics,  Other Specialities,  Surgery

In the News

Adam Schaffer, MD Co-authors Article
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Recent Issues

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In this Edition: Severe Abdominal Pain Doesn’t Match the Exam, Patient-Centered Documentation Under Liability Pressure, and More

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CRICO on Call: May 2026
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