Data from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) College of Medicine Provide New Insights into Managed Care (Standardization Improves Postoperative Patient Handoff Experience for Junior Clinicians)

2020 JUL 16 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Managed Care. According to news reporting originating from Hershey, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Effective communication among health care providers is critically important for patient safety. Handoff of patient care from the operating room (OR) to the intensive care unit (ICU) is particularly prone to errors.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) College of Medicine, “The process is more complicated in an academic environment in which junior clinicians are being trained. Standardization of, and training in, transitions of care can be a crucial means to improve patient safety. Pre- and postintervention surveys of health care providers. Based on a workflow analysis and qualitative needs assessments, we developed a 3-step protocol to standardize the handoff of care from the OR to the ICU for adult patients after cardiac surgery and to provide a effective learning environment. The process starts during surgery, continues when the patient leaves the OR, and concludes with the actual face-to-face transfer of care between providers, at the bedside, in the ICU. We conducted pre- and postimplementation surveys among physician trainees and nursing staff regarding their perception of the handoff process. We surveyed 42 clinicians before and 33 after implementation of the handoff process. Prior to implementation, most clinicians expressed a need to improve the current process; this perceived need was significantly greater in health care professionals with 4 or fewer years of experience. Post implementation, clinicians saw a significant improvement in information provided, efficiency, relevance to patient care, and psychological safety, a concept in which participants feel accepted and respected in a group setting without fear of negative consequences or judgement.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our workflow-oriented, standardized process for handoff of care from the OR to the ICU can improve perceived communication and psychological safety, especially for junior clinicians.”

For more information on this research see: Standardization Improves Postoperative Patient Handoff Experience for Junior Clinicians. The American Journal of Managed Care, 2020;26(6):e184-e190. The American Journal of Managed Care can be contacted at: Managed Care & Healthcare Communications Llc, 666 Plainsboro Rd, Ste 300, Plainsboro, NJ 08536, USA.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Amit Prasad, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) College of Medicine and Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Theodore J. Cios, Srikantha Rao, Kai Singbartl, Whitney Staub-Juergens and Carol Dziedzina.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.37765/ajmc.2020.43494. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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