Timothy Finn
University of Chicago Medical Centre, USA
Title: Handoffs and communication: Making team care safe
Biography
Biography: Timothy Finn
Abstract
Healthcare providers rely on the communication amongst each other to maintain the optimal care of patients and progress of positive outcomes. Discontinuity is an unfortunate but realistic phenomenon in modern healthcare environments. This discontinuity leads to gaps or misinformation provided that puts our patients at risk for adverse events. Handoffs and signouts occur in every facet of healthcare, from Emergency Departments to the Operating Rooms and Intensive Care Units. The Joint Commission of Accreditation Healthcare Organizations have estimated that greater than 80% of sentinel events resulted from a lack of communication. There are many culprits for the lack of communication with handoffs in healthcare. The bigger question is why are highly educated, motivated and caring individuals still struggling with handoffs and communication in modern healthcare? The answer is more cumulative than one basic event. Leadership, Communication, Situational Awareness, and Teamwork are for key concepts that can help improve the discontinuity that exists in healthcare and lead to positive outcomes.