ICU patient handoffs/transfers

A review of the evidence

The lecture duration is 35min.

0.75 CPD Points, 0.75 CEUs, 0.75 CME credits approval pending.
Accredited by CPDUK, CBRN and Provider Pending.

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Meghan Lane Fall
Founding Co-director of the Center for Perioperative Outcomes Research and Transformation and Assistant Professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania
Lecture Summary

Perioperative handoffs, also known as handovers or signouts, are patient care transitions between clinicians or teams. They represent breaks in the continuity of care that have ability to introduce error, increasing the risk of adverse patient outcomes. Handoffs can be improved through standardization, which makes information transfer more reliable by scripting the interactions between care team members. Standardizing perioperative handoffs from the operating room (OR) to the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with improved handoff quality and patient outcomes, but changing clinician behavior is not always straightforward. In this talk, Dr. Meghan Lane-Fall describes the potential risks associated with OR to ICU handoffs, proven strategies for improving them, and the use of implementation science to promote the uptake of standardized handoffs.

Target Audience

Critical Care Doctors
Critical Care Nurses

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to:

  • Describe the evidence relating perioperative handoffs to patient outcomes
  • Describe the use of implementation science to address use of evidence-based handoff approaches in perioperative care
  • List three barriers to the adoption and use of structured postoperative handoffs

None.