Neonatal intensive care unit handoffs: a pilot study on core elements and epidemiology of errors.
Published
Journal Article
OBJECTIVE: To define the core data elements of a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) handoff compare NICU residents' written and verbal handoff data with real-time, auto-populated data and identify the epidemiology of handoff errors. STUDY DESIGN: We defined nine core data elements for a NICU patient handoff. We then compared residents' written and verbal handoffs against real-time, auto-populated data for each core element. RESULT: A total of 101 NICU patient handoffs (31 unique patients) were analyzed. Per patient, residents made more written errors for infants in critical-care beds than for infants in step-down beds (2.33 vs 1.67, P=0.04). Replacing residents' written handoffs with the gold-standard, auto-populated data would have prevented 92% of written errors. CONCLUSION: NICU infants are subjected to many handoff errors. Sicker infants are at higher risk for error. Auto-population can reduce written handoff errors and allow residents more time for training and educational opportunities.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Derienzo, C; Lenfestey, R; Horvath, M; Goldberg, R; Ferranti, J
Published Date
- February 2014
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 34 / 2
Start / End Page
- 149 - 152
PubMed ID
- 24263556
Pubmed Central ID
- 24263556
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1476-5543
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1038/jp.2013.146
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States