According to the study, over a million patients are transferred between hospitals in the U.S., which is a challenging process for both hospitals and patients due to common breakdowns in communication. For the study, researchers collected data from over 180,000 patients ages 18 and above across five states over a three-year period.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The study showed there was information lost or a change in diagnosis from the sending hospital to the receiving hospital. When transferred to a new hospital, 73 percent of patents received a new diagnosis and 47 percent lost a diagnosis.
2. Transfers between hospitals that participated in data sharing were associated with a lower rate of information loss and mortality.
3. “The ability of two hospitals to talk to each other has the potential to improve patient safety, make care much more cost effective and reduce mortality,” said study author Michael Usher, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
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