Editor's Note Complete handover of intraoperative anesthesia care was significantly linked to adverse postoperative outcomes in this Canadian study. In this analysis of 313,066 adult patients having major surgery, complete intraoperative handover of anesthesia care, compared with no handover, was significantly associated with a higher risk of a composite of…

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Editor's Note The UW [University of Washington]-IPASS standardized handoff curriculum improves provider preparedness and workflow in the ICU, this study finds. The intent of UW-IPASS is to standardized and improve clinician handoffs through the use of a mnemonic and electronic medical record tool that ensures communication of essential information. UW-IPASS…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on September 13 announced a new Sentinel Event Alert that focuses on inadequate hand-offs and tips to improve them. A common problem with hand-offs is communication, which is the focus of “Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 58: Inadequate hand-off communication.” The alert includes an infographic of…

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Perioperative services is a key driver for financial performance, and efficient use of space and staffing is vital in the current era of declining reimbursement. A bottleneck in any of the three phases of surgery—pre-, intra-, and postoperative—can result in long delays as well as surgeon, anesthesiologist, and staff anxiety…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission’s Targeted Solutions Tool (TST) for Hand-off Communications provides a framework for what the communication process between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities should be to reduce potential patient readmissions, the Joint Commission said in a March 15 news release. “The TST helps organizations: Facilitate examination of…

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Editor's Note Healthcare managers’ top priority needs to focus on work environment design to improve preoperative throughput and OR first-case on time starts, this study finds. Two main barriers were identified−lack of equipment and availability of equipment in the preoperative area. Four vital sign monitors with wheels were purchased, as were…

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Editor's Note A human centered design approach to OR-to-ICU patient handoffs led to improvements in the patient handover process in this study. Researchers uncovered technical and communication flaws when receiving postoperative patients at the Durham, North Carolina, Veterans Affairs Medical Center surgical ICU. The handoff process was redesigned to address…

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Editor's Note Hospitals can avoid medical-surgical patient handoff errors by using a web-based handoff tool to improve communication among physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers, this study finds. Of 5,407 patients included in the study, 77 errors were detected before implementation of the handoff tool versus 45 after implementation. Brigham…

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Editor's Note Technical and nontechnical skills are both important to successfully and safely perform surgical procedures, according to recommendations presented August 5 at the National Surgical Patient Safety Summit in Rosemont, Illinois. Among the recommendations were that the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses, and support staff ensure consistent use of surgical safety…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 25 announced that Parrish Medical Center, Titusville, Florida, is the first hospital to be awarded its Integrated Care Certification. The Joint Commission began offering the certification in July 2015 to recognize hospitals and ambulatory care settings that excel at integrating information-sharing, transitions of…

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