Implementing a Comprehensive Handoff Program to Improve Patient Safety

Mass General Brigham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Medical Errors

Treatments: Other: Computerized handoff tool; Behavioral: Team training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01130987

BAA01 07005001

2008P002191

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators propose to test the hypothesis that implementation of a comprehensive handoff program (CHP) - i.e., implementation of a computerized handoff tool along with teamwork training for internal medicine residents on inpatient units at Walter Reed and Madigan Army Medical Centers - will lead to reductions in resident miscommunications / medical errors and improvements in workflow and experience on the wards.

Full description

Following collection of baseline data on inpatient wards at both hospitals, teamwork training will be provided, accompanied by the introduction of a new computerized handoff tool that facilitates accurate transmission of data. The effects of this combined intervention on safety and workflow will be assessed on the intervention wards at both hospitals as compared with the historical control period.

Enrollment: 92 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• all internal medicine residents completing rotations through intervention units during data collection periods

Exclusion criteria

• none

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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92 participants in 1 patient group

Comprehensive Handoff Program

Experimental group

Description:

Introduction of Computerized tool plus team training

Treatment:

Behavioral: Team training

Other: Computerized handoff tool