The I-PASS initiative was originally developed by Boston Children’s Hospital. I-PASS has several major elements bundled into a single intervention:
• Team training for clinicians in communication and teamwork skills
• An easy-to-remember mnemonic to ensure that key information is imparted in each handoff (I – Illness severity; P – Patient summary; A – Action list for the next team; S – Situation awareness and contingency plans; S – Synthesis and “read-back” of the information)
• Creation of a printed hand-off document that can be integrated into the patient’s electronic medical record
• Direct, structured observation of hand-offs by senior physicians with feedback.
A pilot study at Boston Children’s showed a 40 percent reduction in medical errors after implementation of the initiative. The initiative is now being rolled out to 10 pediatric healthcare settings.
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