SEATTLE CHILDREN’S GUIDELINE FOR PHYSICIAN-TO-PHYSICIAN HANDOFFS

Revised 10/08 - Revisions Underlined

All physician-to-physician handoffs shall:

1. Communicate the following information in this order:

·  Patient’s name

·  Patient’s age or birth date

·  Current and planned patient locations

·  Language preference if not English

·  Attending physician

2. List of current (active) clinical problems, and a plan for each to include:

·  “To do” list, e.g., list of actions to be completed during the next care interval

·  Current medications

·  “If, then” recommendations, e.g., if fever, obtain a blood culture

·  Who to call if assistance needed

3. Include an opportunity for interactive communication between the giver and receiver of patient information prior to the transfer of clinical responsibility.

NOTES:

·  The scope of the information exchange required varies depending principally on the complexity and acuity of the patient’s medical problems and the anticipated duration of the handoff.

·  Inter-unit transfers that involve a change in attending physician require interactive attending-to-attending communication.

·  To ensure a safe handoff, the scope of the information exchange required shall be determined jointly; that is, both parties are accountable to each other for ensuring a safe handoff.

·  The handoff process should be protected from interruptions and take place in an environment that minimizes distractions.

·  If the handoff includes a verbal exchange of detailed information, (e.g., drug doses), the accuracy of the exchange will be verified by repeat-back or read-back as appropriate.

·  For handoffs involving complex patients both the receiver and transferor should have access to the Clinical Information System (CIS). If detailed information (e.g., drug doses) is exchanged, the accuracy should be verified by repeat-back or read-back.

·  Patient historical information will be available to the receiver via the ClS and the patient’s chart.

·  Services responsible for the orientation of physicians new to the Children's care system are responsible for training these physicians on Children’s handoff process.

Proposed Guideline for MD-to-MD Handoffs 11/26/2008 1 of 1