Terms used in the article, definitions and examples from root cause analyses reports included in the study
| Term | Definition | Examples (no referring to table 3) |
| Root cause | The most fundamental reason for the failure or inefficiency of a process that—if eliminated—most likely would prevent the event6 | |
| Contributing factor | A circumstance, action or influence which is thought to have played a part in the origin or development of an incident or to increase the risk of an incident6 | |
| Communication error | Missing or wrong information exchange or misinterpretation or misunderstanding6 | 1 |
| Verbal communication error between staff | Missing, wrong, misinterpreted or misunderstood verbal information between staff members | 43 |
| Handover error | Missing, wrong, misinterpreted or misunderstood verbal information between staff members in relation to handover (for instance sign-off or transferral) | 23 |
| Communication errors between staff members from different staff groups | Missing, wrong, misinterpreted or misunderstood verbal information between staff members in different staff groups (doctors, nurses, etc) | 32 |
| Misunderstanding | Misconception of patient information (for instance because of back ground noise, sound-alikes, language difficulties or speech impediments) | 26 |
| Communication error between junior and senior staff members | Missing, wrong, misinterpreted or misunderstood verbal information between staff members at different levels | 28 |
| Communication error due to hesitance to speak up | Situations were staff members have concerns or possess information but hesitate or refrain from speaking up due to confusion, respect for authorities or intimidation | 2 |
| Communication errors in teams with more than two members | Missing, wrong, misinterpreted or misunderstood verbal information between staff members in a group of more than two more staff members | 36 |