Background: The transfer of patients between hospitals (interhospital transfer, IHT), exposes patients to risks of discontinuity of care. In this study, we aim to better understand which patients may (or may not) benefit from IHT by evaluating the impact of IHT on clinically important patient outcomes among a variety of patient diagnoses. Methods: We performed [...]

Background: The transfer of patients between hospitals (interhospital transfer, IHT), exposes patients to risks of discontinuity of care. In this study, we aim to better understand which patients may (or may not) benefit from IHT by evaluating the impact of IHT on clinically important patient outcomes among a variety of patient diagnoses. Methods: We performed [...]

Background: Despite advances in communication technology, alphanumeric paging remains a mainstay of hospital communication. High paging volume can lead to disruptions in clinical work. In this study, we sought to evaluate both the frequency and the content of paging messages from nurses to physicians. We subsequently implemented interventions aimed at decreasing unnecessary pages.   Methods: [...]

Background: Inter-hospital transfer (IHT, the transfer of patients between hospitals) exposes patients to risks of discontinuity of care. To identify aspects of the transfer process that increase risk, we examined the impact of select transfer process factors on clinical outcomes among patients undergoing IHT. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients ≥ age 18 [...]

Background: Failure to follow-up on lab tests and radiology results can lead to major patient safety concerns due to missed or delayed diagnoses and can be a cause for litigation for health care practitioners. With increasing patient loads, the volume of follow-up testing and clarifications to documentation needed for billing can be a significant burden [...]

Background: Communication between referring Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities and home health care agencies in the community is imperative for comprehensive care for Veterans. However, to date little is known about communication during care transitions from VHA facilities to home health care. The purpose of the present study is to conduct a preliminary exploratory survey [...]

Background: Hospitalized medical patients transitioning to new house staff at the end of an inpatient resident rotation are associated with an increased risk of mortality as compared with patients not exposed to such handoffs, yet no data exist on improvement strategies targeting this transition. Given the frequency with which residents rotate service, a transition in [...]

Background: Inter-hospital transfer (IHT, the transfer of patients between hospitals) exposes patients to risks of discontinuity of care, including errors in communication. However, the association between communication among providers during IHT and patient outcomes has yet to be rigorously studied due to limitations of administrative data to adequately capture quality of communication. In this study, [...]

Background: Studies, particularly the MARQUIS trial, have demonstrated the value of pharmacist-led medicine reconciliation. At our institution, we partnered with the College of Pharmacy to implement, revise, and grow a novel hospitalist-led transitions of care pharmacy student rotation. Pharmacy students work directly with attending hospitalists to address admission medication reconciliation errors and collaborate in the [...]

Background: The high volume of handoffs between the Emergency Department (ED) team and the inpatient team on a daily basis makes this a ripe area for care improvement. Effective, safe and organized transitions facilitate high quality and efficient care, while a dysfunctional process negatively affects patients and practitioners and compounds overall hospital congestion and delays [...]