Here are five things to know about patient hand-offs:
1. An estimated 80 percent of serious medical errors come from miscommunication between caregivers during patient transfers.
2. Caregivers transmit information during patient hand-offs and the receivers must accept the new information.
3. Defective hand-offs can also delay treatment or lead to increase hospital length of stay.
4. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences recently implemented the I-PASS system for improved communication during hand-offs. The hospitals reduced injuries due to medical errors by 30 percent after implementing I-PASS.
5. The Nursing Center journal recommends a few tips for improving hand-offs, including:
• Verify the receiver got the information through repeat-backs or read-backs
• Receivers should review historical data on the patient
• Eliminate interruptions during hand-offs
More articles on patient safety:
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High-risk surgery: Survival rates vary widely by hospital
Joint Commission patient safety tip: How to avoid EHR copy-and-paste errors
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