Project Title: Improving quality of computerized sign-out for inpatient family medicine
Authors: Isaac Fonken, MD, PGY2
Program: Fort Collins Family Medicine Residency
Abstract: Purpose: Handoffs are a key moment for patient safety; they require teamwork, accuracy and appropriate detail to accomplish efficiently. While computerized sign-outs are endorsed by some, specific components are not well-defined and vary by specialty. The purpose of this project was to make serial adjustments to the computerized sign-out to include key patient information relevant to a full-spectrum inpatient family medicine teaching service. Methods: A new sign-out tool was embedded into the electronic health record (EHR) on a resident inpatient service. Three “plan-do-study-act” cycles were used to identify and gradually edit the templates used for the EHR-based sign-out. Results: Post-intervention surveys showed mixed results. A portion of respondents disliked the “clutter” of the new tool. Many responses were neutral. Positive respondents cited universal workflow, less clicks, less inaccuracies, and automatic updates as the best features.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to…
• describe key components of handoff specific to a full-spectrum inpatient family medicine teaching service
• identify methods of communicating critical information and minimizing extraneous detail by using standardized sign out templates
Category: Inpatient medicine
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