title: Effective communication with primary care providers.
abstract: Effective communication requires direct interaction between the hospitalist and the primary care provider using a standardized method of information exchange with the opportunity to ask questions and assign accountability for follow-up roles. The discharge summary is part of the process but does not provide the important aspects of handoff, such as closed loop communication and role assignments. Hospital discharge is a significant safety risk for patients, with more than half of discharged patients experiencing at least one error. Hospitalist and primary care providers need to collaborate to develop a standardized system to communicate about shared patients that meets handoff requirements.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hospitalist Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue, Northwest, Washington, DC 20010, USA. Electronic address: ksmith@childrensnational.org.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D020445:Hospitalists; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care
keywords: Communication; Discharge; Hospitalist; Primary care provider