Background: Interhospital transfer (IHT) processes vary across institutions. The fragmented and complex nature of IHTs pose patient safety risks. The implementation of a standardized IHT process with a templated note for hospital medicine patients at our institution demonstrated promising patient safety outcomes and a significant increase in physician satisfaction. A second, iterative intervention expanded this [...]

Background: Evidence suggests female physicians experience higher rates of burnout compared to male counterparts1,2. The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a recognized source of physician burnout (4,5,6). Therefore, efforts to understand gender disparities in EHR use may offer insights into burnout disparities at large. Studies in outpatient settings have found female physicians spend more time [...]

Background: Handoffs are critical for conveying essential information about the patient’s care, yet they often lack structure and completeness, which increases the risk of adverse events and medical errors. Patients with LEP are especially vulnerable due to communication barriers, which can exacerbate disparities in care quality and outcomes. Despite the rising number of patients with [...]

Background: Patient experience is critical in the quality of care delivered in hospitals and is closely linked to better clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Hospitalized patients under the care of hospitalists often face challenges related to communication, understanding their plan of care, and feeling connected to their healthcare team. Enhancing patient experience in this setting [...]

Background: As a strategy to improve throughput and efficiency, Vanderbilt University Hospital implemented geographic localization across several Hospital Medicine (HM) teams and units. This large-scale structural change presents an opportunity to not only improve efficiency and quality metrics, but to improve other patient-centered outcomes including patient experience. Purpose: To assess the impact of a hospital [...]

Background: Patient experience is a key indicator of healthcare quality, influencing both satisfaction and outcomes. Despite ongoing efforts to improve care, many patients continue to report unmet needs or concerns, particularly in the late afternoon and evening hours. Addressing these concerns before the end of the day is essential to enhancing overall patient experience. Purpose: [...]

Background: International medical graduates (IMGs) are vital members of the United States (US) healthcare landscape, making up 24.7% of physicians nationally.[1] Despite this, IMGs face numerous challenges in matching and transitioning to US residencies. One hurdle is adapting to the Western value of relationship-centered care (RCC), which emphasizes patient autonomy, shared decision-making, and interpersonal communication [...]

Background: Length of stay is an ongoing challenge for hospitals across USA. Large number of medically stable patients continue to remain in the hospital. There are multiple barriers including social, financial, and poor communication between team members. This delays discharge leading to poor patient care, burnout of team members, reduced bed capacity and access. Purpose: [...]

Background: Physician and nursing teamwork is instrumental in delivering high quality, safe and reliable patient care. Sub-optimal teamwork contributes to poor nursing morale and increased burnout. Physicians and nurses often are unaware of each other’s workflows. Building team collaboration through trust, respect, communication and mutual understanding may lead to improved quality of care and staff [...]

Background: A recent uptick in hospital readmissions, prolonged lengths of stay that was above national benchmarks, and declining patient satisfaction scores threatened the institution’s reputation within the community and risked CMS reimbursement penalties. In response, an interdisciplinary physician-led huddle followed by a structured nurse-physician bedside rounding protocol was developed. This approach was designed to strengthen [...]