PURE Communication: A Strategy to Improve Care Coordination for High-Risk Birth

High-risk birth can be an emotionally charged and, sometimes, emergent event that requires a cohesive multidisciplinary team. Communication breakdowns in perinatal emergencies are known to contribute to errors and adverse patient outcomes. One approach to breaching these barriers is the Purposeful, Unambiguous, Respectful, and Effective (PURE) process. The PURE process is a method of communication that emphasizes coordination and recognizes the contributions of each member of the team. The purpose of this article is to describe how the PURE process works and how teamwork strategies, group skills training, and structured communication techniques complement it.