As a health communication professor and patient advocate, I’ve heard the experiences of my clients in which countless medical errors follow this predictable pattern. A critical safety issue arises, feedback is delivered poorly, the stress response is triggered, and for the next 26 minutes, the very people responsible for patient care are operating with compromised cognitive function.

Poor feedback isn’t just uncomfortable — in healthcare, it can be deadly. Research shows communication failures contribute to 70% of medical errors, costing lives and billions of dollars annually. Traditional feedback models like the “feedback sandwich” don’t work in high-stakes, hierarchical, culturally diverse healthcare settings where power dynamics and stress levels are high.

This article explores why communication breakdowns are a hidden patient safety crisis and introduces the BRIDGE Feedback Method, a neuroscience-based, evidence-informed framework designed to make feedback safer, clearer, and more actionable. Built on research in psychological safety, cognitive load theory, and conflict resolution, BRIDGE gives healthcare teams practical steps to speak up, address errors quickly, and transform tension into collaboration.

Whether you are a clinician, educator, or hospital leader, this piece will help you understand:

• Why poor feedback delivery leads to preventable harm

• How hierarchy, stress, and cultural differences block effective communication

• A proven, step-by-step model for giving feedback that actually works

If you care about patient safety, healthcare communication, or building resilient teams, this is essential reading.