Interunit handoffs from emergency department to inpatient care: a cross-sectional survey of physicians at a university medical center.
This study examined handoffs from the emergency department to inpatient physicians to identify potential safety challenges. Researchers found that a significant proportion of both emergency medicine physicians and admitting physicians reported handoff-related adverse events, usually associated with communication, and a clear majority believed handoffs negatively impacted patient care. These results demonstrate the ongoing need to improve handoff communication, perhaps through structured communication tools.