title: eHand-offs: An IBM Lotus Domino application for ensuring patient safety and enhancing resident supervision in hand-off communications.
abstract: Reliable communication of patient information among physicians during shift changes is an important patient safety parameter. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO] recognized the pitfalls in hand off communications by including standardized hand-offs as a National Patient Safety Goals. We are presenting an electronic application called eHand-offs to address this problem in our residency program. Residents can use this application to hand-off patient information during admissions, transfers, and discharges. eHand-offs also functions as a surveillance tool for administrators to track patient hand offs, ensuring added patient safety and enhancing resident supervision and training.
authors.affiliation: Easton Hospital, Easton, Easton and Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chacko
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Varvarelis
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kemp
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007396:Internship and Residency; D012984:Software