Quality Improvement in Handover of General Internal Medicine In-patients

Quality Improvement in Handover of General Internal Medicine In-patients

Miscommunication during patient handover can jeopardize patient safety and is the focus of Quality Improvement initiatives by many organizations. It is widely recognized that such miscommunication is preventable using a number of strategies identified in the literature.

Currently, there is no formal handover process of General Internal Medicine in-patients, otherwise known as the Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) at Vancouver General Hospital, which is a major patient safety concern. This project will implement a formal handover program and evaluate whether there are changes in resident satisfaction with handover, but more importantly, whether the investigators can improve patient outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Residents, medical students, and patients
• Residents and medical students will be any rotating through General Internal Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital
• Patients will be any admitted to General Internal Medicine and cared for during on-call hours (defined as 18:00 - 07:00)

Exclusion Criteria:

• None for residents and medical students
• Patients who are not being cared for during on-call hours (defined as 18:00 - 07:00)