Ask the Expert
In each publication of Risk Review, an outside guest or a member of our team of expert risk management and loss prevention consultants will answer a question from a reader. If you are concerned about a risk management or safety issue at your practice or facility, let us know and we may answer it in a future issue.
Expert: Tricia Kassab, RN, MS, CPHQ, Assistant Vice President Clinical Quality for St. Joseph Health System
Question: How can I improve the effectiveness of communication when handing off a patient to another caregiver?
Answer: Communication is a foundation of quality patient care. Inadequate communication can seriously jeopardize the quality of patient care outcomes and can cause significant patient harm. The impact of inadequate communication in healthcare is so great that organizations such as the JCAHO have developed goals to improve communication, especially during “hand-offs” of patients between caregivers. The "hand-offs" of patients between caregivers must be standardized, with particular attention to assuring the opportunity for asking and responding to questions. With this goal in mind, myself and others on-staff at St. Joseph’s Health System of Orange, California developed a “Ticket to Ride” to improve the effectiveness of communication.