Page 48 - 2021 Risk Reduction Series - Communication Part One

SVMIC Risk Reduction Series: Communication

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,

the handoff process should include the following:

• Interactive communications (include the patient and family

in the process)

• Limited interruptions (reduce noise, avoid competing
priorities)

• A process for verification (obtain adequate and verified
information about the patient)

• An opportunity to review any relevant historical data
13

The emergence of hospitalists has improved inpatient care
but not without presenting potential patient safety and

liability issues. Breakdown in communication and incomplete
transfer at hospital discharge are common factors leading to

medical errors, poor patient outcomes, and liability claims. For
physicians who handoff hospital care to a hospitalist, a formal

agreement with expectations for communication can reduce the
likelihood that these situations will arise.

The following suggestions may be helpful in creating an
effective relationship with hospitalists and in developing a

formal agreement:

• Inform patients ahead of time that hospitalized treatment

will be transferred to a hospitalist.

• Communicate with the hospitalist as to how and when you
want to be contacted, and make sure you are accessible to

the hospitalist.

13 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Patient safety primers: handoffs and signouts.
Available at: http://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer.aspx?primerID=9

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