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Poor Communication Risks Patient Safety During Emergency Department Handoffs
Patient safety is often at risk during the emergency department to inpatient physician handoff process, which can be subject to complex challenges.
Patient safety is often at risk during the emergency department (ED) to inpatient physician handoff process, which can be subject to complex challenges. A study published in Journal of Hospital Medicine assessed physician perceptions of the process and identified potential barriers to safe patient care in a cross-sectional survey that included all resident, fellow, and faculty physicians directly involved in admission handoffs from the ED.
Admitting physicians reported that vital information was communicated less frequently, and 29% of all respondents reported adverse events related to the handoff, with ineffective communication being the most frequent reason.
"Handoff-related adverse events, a pattern of conflicting physician perceptions, and frequent sequential handoffs were of particular concern," the authors wrote. "Our findings support the need for collaborative efforts to improve interdisciplinary communication."
Read the study: http://bit.ly/1hgjYDH
AI in Health Care: Balancing Governance, Innovation, and Trust
September 2nd 2025In this conversation with Reuben Daniel, associate vice president of artificial intelligence at UPMC Health Plan, we dive into how UPMC Health Plan builds trust with providers and members, discuss challenges of scaling AI effectively, and hear about concrete examples of AI's positive impact.
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