Profession
Handoffs at teaching hospitals seen as harmful to patients
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 20, 2008
More than half of medical and surgical residents have seen harm related to patient handoffs, says a study in the October Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
About 12% of the 161 Massachusetts General Hospital residents surveyed for the study said a handoff resulted in major harm such as worsening of the patient's clinical status, a longer hospital stay, disability or death. The handoff process often occurs in a loud, harried setting beset by frequent interruptions, making the communication of critical patient information difficult, the study said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/10/20/prbf1020.htm.
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