Approximately 80 percent of serious medical errors involve a break down in communication between healthcare providers when patients are transferred or “handed-off,” according to the report. Some of the 10 hospitals and health systems partnered with The Joint Commission for the Hand-off Communications Project include Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Mayo Clinic Saint Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minn., New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and North Shore-Long Island Jewish System Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
The Joint Commission has outlined hand-off solutions, which are described using the acronym “SHARE”:
• Standardize critical content.
• Hardwire within your system.
• Allow opportunity to ask questions
• Reinforce quality and measurement.
• Educate and coach.
Read The Joint Commission’s news release about The Hand-off Communications Project.
Read other coverage about healthcare information technology:
– CMS to Clarify Meaningful Use Final Rule
– Study: Sharing Information Among Michigan Hospitals Improves Patient Outcomes
– 3 Changes to HIPAA in the Interim Rule and Best Practices for Maintaining Compliance
