Increasing patient safety with neonates via handoff communication during delivery: a call for interprofessional health care team training across GME and CME

Allison A Vanderbilt; Scott M Pappada; Howard Stein; David Harper; Thomas J Papadimos

doi:10.2147/AMEP.S129674

Back to Journals » Advances in Medical Education and Practice » Volume 8

Commentary

Increasing patient safety with neonates via handoff communication during delivery: a call for interprofessional health care team training across GME and CME

Authors Vanderbilt AA, Pappada SM, Stein H , Harper D, Papadimos TJ

Received 7 December 2016

Accepted for publication 4 May 2017

Published 7 June 2017 Volume 2017:8 Pages 365—367

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S129674

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 3

Editor who approved publication: Dr Md Anwarul Azim Majumder

Download Article [PDF]

Allison A Vanderbilt,¹ Scott M Pappada,² Howard Stein,³ David Harper,⁴ Thomas J Papadimos⁵

¹Department of Family Medicine, ²Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Toledo, ³Department of Pediatrics, ProMedica Toledo Children’s Hospital, ⁴Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ProMedica Toledo Hospital, ⁵Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine and the Life Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA

Abstract: Hospitals have struggled for years regarding the handoff process of communicating patient information from one health care professional to another. Ineffective handoff communication is recognized as a serious patient safety risk within the health care community. It is essential to take communication into consideration when examining the safety of neonates who require immediate medical attention after birth; effective communication is vital for positive patient outcomes, especially with neonates in a delivery room setting. Teamwork and effective communication across the health care continuum are essential for providing efficient, quality care that leads to favorable patient outcomes. Interprofessional simulation and team training can benefit health care professionals by improving interprofessional competence, defined as one’s knowledge of other professionals including an understanding of their training and skillsets, and role clarity. Interprofessional teams that include members with specialization in obstetrics, gynecology, and neonatology have the potential to considerably benefit from training effective handoff and communication practices that would ensure the safety of the neonate upon birth. We must strive to provide the most comprehensive systematic, standardized, interprofessional handoff communication training sessions for such teams, through Graduate Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education that will meet the needs across the educational continuum.

Keywords: interprofessional health care teams, handoffs, neonates, patient safety, communication

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

References

1.		Scotten M, Manos La Verne E, Malicoat A, Paolo AM. Minding the gap: interprofessional communication during inpatient and post discharge chasm care. Patient Educ Couns. 2015;98:895–900.
2.		Benjamin MF, Hargrave S, Nether K. Using the targeted solutions tool to improve emergency department handoffs in a community hospital. Jt Comm Qual Patient Saf. 2016;42:107–118.
3.		The Joint Commission. Sentinel Event Data –Root Caused by Event Type; 2013. Available from: http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/Root_Causes_Event_Type_2004-3Q_2015.pdf. Accessed November 7, 2016.
4.		Catalano K. Hand-off communication does affect patient safety. Plast Surg Nurs. 2009;29:266–270.
5.		Seth S, McCarth E, Kipps AK, et al. Changes in efficiency and safety culture after integration of an I-PASS-supported handoff process. Pediatrics. 2016;137:e20150166.
6.		Weaver SJ, Lyons R, DiazGranados D, et al. The anatomy of health care team training and the state of practice: a critical review. Acad Med. 2010;85:1746–1760.
7.		Riesenberg LA, Leitzsch J, Massucci JL, et al. Resident’s and attending physicians’ handoffs: A systematic review of the literature. Acad Med. 2009;84:109–115.
8.		Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS. To Err is Human. Washington DC: National Academies Press; 1999.
9.		Waldman HB, Cannella D, Perlman SP. Dentistry and childhood poverty in the United States. J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2012;37:113–116.
10.		Kenney GM, McFeeters JR, Yee JY. Preventive dental care and unmet dental needs among low-income children. Am J Public Health. 2005;95:1360–1366.
11.		Haley J, Kenney G, Pelletier J. Access to Affordable Dental Care: Gaps for Low-Income Adults. Menlo Park, CA: The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured; 2008.
12.		Kostoff M, Burkhardt C, Winter A, Shrader S. An interprofessional simulation using the SBAR communication tool. Am J Pharm Edu. 2006;80:1–8.
13.		Kostoff M, Burkhardt C, WInter A, Shrader S. An interprofessional simulation using SBAR communication tool. Am J Pharm Educ. 2016:80;157–158.

Creative Commons License © 2017 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

Download Article [PDF]