BWH Improves Hand-off Communication

BWH has been working since last August to implement a standardized approach to hand-off communications, including an opportunity to ask questions. Improving communication is the JCAHO’s second National Patient Safety Goal.

A multidisciplinary team is designing an approach to address this goal hospital-wide. Because of the enormity of the project, it is divided into two phases. The first phase, which includes assessing and standardizing hand offs among residents and physicians assistants, nurses and within the operating room and PACU, is nearly complete. Phase two, which begins within the next few months, will address hand offs among attending physicians and in procedural areas and the ambulatory setting. Marcy Carty, MD, Chris Roy, MD, and Jeff Schnipper, MD, are leading efforts to streamline the hand-off process among residents and physician assistants.

In the coming months, all physician hand offs will be streamlined and standardized to ensure accurate information about a patient’s care is communicated and the transition in the management of the patient is seamless.

Efforts are underway to assess how the hand offs occur after implementation of the new policy. The assessment will compare hand offs before and after the policy was put in place. In addition, a hospital-wide education on hand offs will occur over the summer. Roy and other physicians also are working with an IS team to standardize sign-out in BICS and enhance the sign-out form in some services.