This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
Objectives: As residency programs adjust to new duty hour restrictions, the use of cross-coverage systems requiring handoffs will rise. Handoffs are vulnerable to communication failures when unstructured. Accordingly, we implemented a standardized sign-out process on our inpatient neurology services and assessed its effect on completeness and perceived accuracy of handoffs.
Methods: Residents spent the first half of their rotations utilizing unstructured sign-out. They transitioned to a structured sign-out system (using the situation-background-assessment-recommendation format) during the second half of their rotations. We analyzed survey responses before and after implementation to evaluate for an effect.
Results: Residents utilizing structured sign-out were significantly more likely to share test results with patients/families prior to shift changes (p = 0.037), update our electronic service list (p = 0.045), and feel all important data were being transmitted (p = 0.041). Overall satisfaction (scale 1–10) increased from 6.2 ± 1.6 to 7.4 ± 1.3 (p = 0.002).
Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that standardized sign-out improves the completeness and perceived accuracy of handoffs. Such improvement has the potential to improve patient safety and quality of care.
GLOSSARY
- PGY=
- postgraduate year
Footnotes
-
Editorial, page 967
- Received December 4, 2011.
- Accepted February 1, 2012.
- Copyright © 2012 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
If you are uploading a letter concerning an article:
You must have updated your disclosures within six months: http://submit.neurology.org
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
