Improving patient safety through standardised handoff in internal medicine

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Improving patient safety; Not Applicable

• Registration Number: ISRCTN49330740
• Lead Sponsor: Cantonal Hospital of Baden, Canton Aargau

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-03-05
• Last Update Posted: 22 July 2024
• Study Completion: 2024-09-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Ongoing
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 694

Inclusion Criteria

1. Age >18 years
2. Patients discharged from the Department of Internal Medicine

Exclusion Criteria

1. Patient admitted to the wards with a purely palliative care plan and death within 24 hours of admission
2. Patients who were predominately hospitalised and treated in any surgical unit (>50% of the overall length of stay)
3. Patients who do not have a signed general consent form or who have refused their general consent

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Rate of adverse events per 1000 patient days collected using the Global Trigger Tool (GTT), a validated chart review tool to identify triggers frequently associated with adverse events. The electronic health record (EHR) from all patients admitted and discharged from the internal medicine wards, who have previously consented to the use of medical data for scientific purposes, will be screened during a a prespecified period within the pre- and post-implementation phase. Any triggers that have occurred within the time from admission to discharge including a 30-day post-discharge period will be investigated for evidence of adverse events.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
1. Rate of preventable adverse events per 1000 patient days collected using the Global Trigger Tool (GTT) within the time from admission to discharge including a 30-day post-discharge period<br>2. Overall length of stay (LoS) measured using admission and discharge dates from the EHR at admission and discharge<br>3. Staff satisfaction with a structured handoff process measured using a survey at 2 weeks before the implementation of the pilot phase and 6 months after the pilot phase <br>4. Safety culture measured using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire at 2 weeks before the implementation of the pilot phase and 6 months after the pilot phase