Comparing the Effectiveness of Handoff Protocols [Part of a Panel on Medical Team Handoffs: Current and Future Directions]

Elizabeth H. Lazzara, Robert Riss, Ray Chan, Joseph R. Keebler, Evan Palmer, Dustin Smith, Brady Patzer, Matthew Kafka

Research output: Contribution to conferencePresentation

Abstract

Effective communication is at the heart of quality patient care. Handoffs – the transfer of patient care
responsibility from one provider to another – rely on communication. Although handoffs are fundamental for
clinical care, frequently conducted, and universally performed across sub-specialties, they are consistently inadequate and error prone. In fact, the Joint Commission cites ineffective communication as a root cause in nearly 70% of sentinel events, with more than half of these incidents citing handoffs as the point of breakdown.
Original languageAmerican English
StatePublished - Oct 2014
Externally publishedYes
Event58th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society - Chicago, IL
Duration: Oct 1 2014 → …

Conference

Conference58th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Period10/1/14 → …

Keywords

  • communication
  • patient care
  • patient handoffs
  • patient safety

Disciplines

  • Medical Education
  • Family Medicine
  • Health Communication

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