We selected the I-PASS Handoff Bundle because it is the most validated method for handoffs. Our family medicine residency program did not have a standardized overnight sign-out process.
5 Residency programs in other subspecialties, including pediatrics and internal medicine, have implemented standardized transition-of-care processes for the inpatient setting, although assessment of these quality improvement measures remains ongoing and data from family medicine are lacking. 4 The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) mandates resident training in effective transitions of patient care and emphasizes the importance of managing handoffs to comply with new recommendations for resident duty hours. Patient handoffs between residents have become more frequent because of duty hour restrictions. 2 For example, a 2009 systematic review found that omitted information and incorrect information were common at patient care handoff. 1 Ineffective or incomplete transitions of care can negatively impact both patients and physicians by contributing to potential miscommunication and errors, or by compromising resident confidence.
Communication error is a leading cause for sentinel events.
