Development of a structured year-end sign-out program in an outpatient continuity practice.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In an effort to prevent medical errors, it has been recommended that all healthcare organizations implement a standardized approach to communicating patient information during transitions of care between providers. Most research on these transitions has been conducted in the inpatient setting, with relatively few studies conducted in the outpatient setting.

Objectives

To develop a structured transfer of care program in an academic outpatient continuity practice and evaluate whether this program improved patient safety as measured by the documented completion of patient care tasks at 3 months post-transition.

Design

Graduating residents and the corresponding incoming interns inheriting their continuity patient panels were randomized to the pilot structured t

SUBMITTER: Garment AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3539029 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature