In 2001, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that inadequate handoffs are ''where safety
often fails first.''1 Other groups quickly joined the call for improved handoffs. The Joint …

With changes in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
Common Program Requirements related to transitions in care effective July 1, 2011 …

Abstract Background Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education duty hour
guidelines have resulted in increased patient care transfers. Although structured hand-over …

Background Poor-quality handoffs have been associated with serious patient
consequences. Researchers and educators have answered the call with efforts to increase …

Article-at-a-Glance Background Communication lapses at the time of patient handoffs are
believed to be common, and yet the frequency with which patients are harmed as a result of …

Background: Handover is a key activity in acute health care, with patient safety implications if
it is not performed well. This is becoming more important with shorter working hours and …

Background Communication errors are considered one of the major causes of sentinel
events. Our aim was to assess the process of patient handoff among junior surgical …

Too often in the hospital, we hear that important information or tasks “just fell through the
cracks” after a transfer of patient care. Yet this analogy is wrong. The problem with transfer of …

Background The transfer of essential information and the responsibility for care of the patient
from one health care provider to another is an integral component of communication in …

Background Handoffs have become an area of concern as duty-hour restrictions impose an
increasing number of shift changes. The objective of this study was to study handoffs in a …