Background: Handoff miscommunications are a leading source of medical errors. Medical error and adverse event rates decreased following implementation of the I-PASS handoff program (a bundled intervention using a structured mnemonic, I-PASS, and other initiatives to sustain implementation) in a pediatric research trial. Whether I-PASS can be implemented in settings outside academic pediatric institutions is [...]

Background: Handoff miscommunications are a leading source of medical errors. Medical error and adverse event rates decreased following implementation of the I-PASS handoff program (a bundled intervention using a structured mnemonic, I-PASS, and other initiatives to sustain implementation) in a pediatric research trial. Whether I-PASS can be implemented in settings outside academic pediatric institutions is [...]

Background: Multidisciplinary rounds (MDRs) or discharge huddles in the hospital were developed to enhance safety and streamline discharge by improving communication between members of the patient care team. Despite efforts to coordinate care around a single brief daily meeting, multiple aspects of the patient’s care can change throughout the day. Keeping all members of the [...]

Background: On the 2016 ACGME survey, our Internal Medicine residents indicated that our service vs. education rating was at 47% compared to the national average of 69%. Purpose: To decrease resident physician workload to improve our education on inpatient wards, decrease the amount of non-physician level tasks to improve efficiency and to improve patient communication. [...]

Background: High volume communications to physicians for non-emergent issues can disrupt workflows and cause delays and inefficiencies. The frustration caused by unnecessary communication can also affect the job satisfaction of the Care Team. Physicians at Mercy North Iowa received an average of 140 pages for call back on medical cases every day from January 2015 [...]

Background: Elderly inpatients often require the support of family and informal caregivers at transitions and yet adequacy of communication between hospital physicians and members of the patient’s social support is poorly studied. Methods: Mixed methodology survey of patients, their preferred social support member, and physicians as part of a communication quality improvement initiative on the [...]

Background: Family members often play a significant role in the care of geriatric patients during and after hospitalization. Both patients and families have expectations for communication with the provider team in the acute setting, but navigating the flow of medical information across the family unit is challenging with current care models. Pediatric medicine recognizes that [...]

Background: Multiple recent studies have demonstrated a link between effective clinician communication and patient experience of care in the hospital. Additionally, at a time of unprecedented rates of clinician burnout, communication challenges can negatively impact hospitalist job satisfaction. Despite this, there are limited proven interventions for improving communication in hospital medicine. A low-cost, high-yield, and [...]

Background: Many hospitalized patients have difficulty understanding what their care team tells them about medications and how to comply with medications. Communication failures about medications can have devastating consequences for hospitalized patients. Patients who report good physician communication, clear directions about how to take their medications, and more medication information are more compliant with their [...]

Background: Medical errors in hospitals are a significant threat to patient safety and often result from poor communication or poorly-activated interprofessional teams. Despite a recent focus on interprofessional education (IPE) in pre-clinical years and simulation settings, formal curricula for teaching medical trainees interprofessional communication and teamwork skills in clinical settings are lacking. Purpose: To create [...]