Patient Hand Off Communication

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Giving or receiving an inadequate report can make the difference between a patient receiving poor or excellent healthcare treatment. It is a fact that patient hand-off communication has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, partly due to high-profile lawsuits. In 2006, The Joint Commission first addressed hand-off communication as a National Patient Safety Goal, and in 2010, the objective became a standard. Regardless, gaps in hand-off communication continue. A critical element of patient care and patient safety is the transferring of accurate and effective communication about a patient from one healthcare provider to another. Errors in communication between medical providers have resulted in delayed diagnostic evaluations, increased …show more content…
Six Sigma is an excellent quality improvement tool because it “focuses on the patient, is driven by data, evaluates the process, values proactive management and collaboration, and strives for perfection” (Sullivan, 2017 p.78). Nurse managers that follow this business management tool improve the quality of patient care by eliminating errors. The director of the cardiovascular service line identified nursing communication as an area of need. He has a very proactive and enthusiastic management style and was acknowledging the identification of a problem presented by the Joint Commission. Next, he looked at the SBAR currently in use at the hospital, which had not been updated since 2012, and he speculated that hand-off communication could be improved by the implementation of an updated communication form. Moreover, we discussed what product I could develop that would benefit both his department and the hospital. My first step was to obtain a copy of the current SBAR form used by the facility, which is found on any hospital computer, and located on the digital archived Emprint file. After careful study of the form, I decided that to aid in the success of revising the current form that was in line with the needs of the hospital, I had to actively meet with a focus group, consisting of both the catheterization lab nurses and charge nurses, for input. During this meeting, we discussed the …show more content…
Using the focus group's recommendations, I created a revised and updated hand-off tool to be used hospital-wide for all nurses to use on every patient. The finished product was reviewed by the focus group, and after full acceptance was submitted to the director for approval. After reviewing the product, the director stated he was pleased with the end product, and submitted it to the hospital committee for approval. Approximately two weeks later, the director informed me that the committee was delighted with the updated hand-off form and that it was being forwarded to the next department for analysis. The form was then sent to the Policies and Procedures Board in Tennessee for review, which is the corporate headquarters. The final step of approval was given by the Medical Executive
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