Presentation
Beyond Mnemonics: The Real-Life Challenge of Implementing Safe Hand-offs
DescriptionContext
Miscommunication is the leading factor in adverse patient events. Despite the hundreds of research papers promoting hand-off solutions and the dozens of hand-off mnemonics and tools that have been created, the healthcare industry struggles to implement and sustain successful hand-offs that support patient safety.
Patient-centered care and communication has been hailed as an effective approach to increase the quality and safety of patient care, but in practice very few hand-offs are patient-centered.
The truth is that hand-offs are hard.
And hand-offs that occur across different departments and institutions are even more difficult as a result of varying types of expertise, the use of different EHRs/EMRs, jargon that leads to misinterpretation or misunderstanding, and other factors. In these hand-off scenarios, the patient often serves as the crucial communication bridge between disparate providers. If the patient isn’t sufficiently informed, empowered, and seen as an active partner in these hand-offs, then it increases the likelihood of adverse events and poor health outcomes.
Presentation
This patient-led oral presentation will bring the patient experience of interdepartmental/inter-institutional hand-offs forward, highlighting the levels of communication that failed in preventing harm.
We will discuss the negative consequences of not taking a patient-centered approach to these hand-offs—including both the injuries to the patient as well as the financial and reputational costs experienced by the providers. We will present this experience through ethnographic methods and qualitative interviews.
We’ll also explore the systemic, industry-wide practices that hinder effective hand-off communication and prevent patients from understanding their own medical care needs.
Miscommunication is the leading factor in adverse patient events. Despite the hundreds of research papers promoting hand-off solutions and the dozens of hand-off mnemonics and tools that have been created, the healthcare industry struggles to implement and sustain successful hand-offs that support patient safety.
Patient-centered care and communication has been hailed as an effective approach to increase the quality and safety of patient care, but in practice very few hand-offs are patient-centered.
The truth is that hand-offs are hard.
And hand-offs that occur across different departments and institutions are even more difficult as a result of varying types of expertise, the use of different EHRs/EMRs, jargon that leads to misinterpretation or misunderstanding, and other factors. In these hand-off scenarios, the patient often serves as the crucial communication bridge between disparate providers. If the patient isn’t sufficiently informed, empowered, and seen as an active partner in these hand-offs, then it increases the likelihood of adverse events and poor health outcomes.
Presentation
This patient-led oral presentation will bring the patient experience of interdepartmental/inter-institutional hand-offs forward, highlighting the levels of communication that failed in preventing harm.
We will discuss the negative consequences of not taking a patient-centered approach to these hand-offs—including both the injuries to the patient as well as the financial and reputational costs experienced by the providers. We will present this experience through ethnographic methods and qualitative interviews.
We’ll also explore the systemic, industry-wide practices that hinder effective hand-off communication and prevent patients from understanding their own medical care needs.
Event Type
Oral Presentations
TimeMonday, March 251:30pm - 1:50pm CDT
LocationSalon A-1
Hospital Environments