title: Using *ORA, a network analysis tool, to assess the relationship of handoffs to quality and safety outcomes.
abstract: Communication during patient handoffs has been widely implicated in patient safety issues. However, few studies have actually been able to quantify the relationship between handoffs and patient outcomes. We used *ORA, a dynamic network analysis tool, to examine handoffs between day and night shifts on seven units in three hospitals in the Southwest. Using *ORA's visualization and analysis capabilities, we examined the relationships between the handoff communication network metrics and a variety of patient safety quality and satisfaction outcomes. Unique network patterns were observed for different types of outcome variable (eg, safety, symptom management, self-care, and patient satisfaction). This exploratory project demonstrates the power of *ORA to identify communication patterns for large groups, such as patient care units. *ORA's network metrics can then be related to specific patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: The University of Arizona, College of Nursing, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. jeffken@nursing.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Effken
authors.forename: Sheila M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gephart
authors.forename: Barbara B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Brewer
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Carley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D048108:Nursing Informatics; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D062209:Patient Handoff / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D061214:Patient Safety; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012984:Software; D015206:Southwestern United States