Affiliation:
1. aSpectrum Health/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan
2. bMichigan State University College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Transitions of care are error-prone. Standardized handoffs at transitions improve safety. There are limited published curricula teaching residents to perform interfacility transfer calls or providing a framework for performance evaluation. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of a workshop utilizing a standardized handoff tool on resident-reported confidence in taking transfer calls and observed behavioral change in a simulated environment.
METHODS
A pre- and posteducational intervention trial was performed at a large children’s hospital in March 2021. A 1-hour session highlighting the importance of phone communication, outlining an evidence-based handoff tool, and reviewing cases was delivered to 44 of 75 residents who attended scheduled didactics. The workshop’s effectiveness was measured by rating behavioral change in a simulated environment. Calls were scored by using a 0 to 24 summative score checklist created from the handoff tool. A paired t test was used to analyze the differences in pre- and postintervention scores. Resident confidence, knowledge of the call process, and perceived importance of skill were measured with an internally developed retrospective pre- and postsurvey. The survey results were analyzed with a Wilcoxon rank test and Kruskal-Wallis test.
RESULTS
Behaviors in a simulated environment, measured by an average score on the grading checklist, had a mean score increase of 6.52 points (P <.0001). Of the participants, 95% completed the survey, which revealed that reported confidence, knowledge of the transfer call process, and importance of transfer call skills increased significantly (P <.0001).
CONCLUSIONS
This workshop improved resident behaviors in a simulated environment, confidence, and knowledge of the transfer call process, demonstrating the utility of providing a standardized tool and education to improve transitions of care.
Publisher
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Subject
Pediatrics,General Medicine,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
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