Clinician perceptions of OR to ICU handoffs
Editor's Note Ambiguous roles and conflicting expectations of team members during OR to intensive care unit (ICU) handoffs can increase risk of patient harm, this study finds. Researchers conducted 38 interviews of clinicians involved in OR to ICU handoffs to characterize the relationship between handoff process failures and patient harm.…
Analysis of risk of patient harm during OR to ICU handoffs
Editor's Note Based on their analysis of systems and processes involved in OR to intensive care unit (ICU) handoffs, researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, made recommendations to reduce potential for patient harm. These included automated transfer of OR…
Barriers to handoff communication in ASCs
Editor's Note Patient handoffs in ambulatory surgery centers are commonly interrupted by distractions that put patients at risk, and nearly 50% might be preventable, this study finds. Handoffs with communication distractions were rated lower in overall quality and associated with a greater number of errors (ie, transfer of incorrect information).…
Getting all OR staff to buy into debriefing process boosts efficacy
The main distinction between good and bad debriefings comes down to the level of staff engagement. That’s what the surgical team at the University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, learned during a project designed to improve the quality of the 30- to 60-second conversations held after surgery. “In a good debriefing,…
Restructuring and revamping workflow help a small hospital make big strides
Working for a small facility after spending many years at a large one can present a host of leadership challenges, but meeting those challenges with process changes and improved efficiencies can be highly satisfying. After serving more than 23 years at the Cedar Crest campus of Lehigh Valley Health Network…
Team participation and planning produce quality handoffs
After a poor handoff from the OR to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) was identified as the culprit behind a serious adverse event, Nancy Robinson, DNP, MSN, RN, LHRM, CCM, made it her mission to avoid a recurrence. “I’m passionate about safe patient hand-offs,” says Robinson. “I didn’t want this…
Handoffs: What ORs can learn from Formula One race crews
Hospitals are taking lessons from the high performance of Formula 1 racing pitstop crews and applying them to handoffs between the OR and the ICU. "The hand- off is like a pit stop: surgery is the first section of the race, the second part is intensive care, and the handoff…
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