Interunit handoffs from emergency department to inpatient care: a cross-sectional survey of physicians at a university medical center.
Smith CJ, Britigan DH, Lyden E, et al. Interunit handoffs from emergency department to inpatient care: A cross-sectional survey of physicians at a university medical center. J Hosp Med. 2015;10(11):711-7. doi:10.1002/jhm.2431.
This study examined handoffs from the emergency department to inpatient physicians to identify potential safety challenges. Researchers found that a significant proportion of both emergency medicine physicians and admitting physicians reported handoff-related adverse events, usually associated with communication, and a clear majority believed handoffs negatively impacted patient care. These results demonstrate the ongoing need to improve handoff communication, perhaps through structured communication tools.