Improving hospital send off
Patient recovery doesn't generally end in the hospital. Patients are sometimes discharged inappropriately or too early from hospitals, as well as being given the wrong medication or incorrect advice. This has resulted in many complications for the patients and even tragic yet preventable deaths, as well as incurring huge costs on health systems. The EU-funded project 'Improving the continuity of patient care through identification and implementation of novel patient handoff processes in Europe' (Handover) is developing new approaches to patient discharge and handoff. While handoff cannot be standardised for all healthcare systems, the project is developing a standardised toolkit that helps institutions in the process, involving policymakers and educators as well. The project is investigating patient handover practices in England, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden, collecting data from hundreds of physicians, nurses, patients and hospital managers. It is identifying the enablers and barriers within the social, medical and technological environments of handovers, especially communication failures. Once adverse outcomes and 'near misses' are identified, the project will develop tools and training programmes to improve handoff. It will then assess the cost effectiveness of optimised handovers. The Handover project has already interviewed more than 160 healthcare professionals and shadowed healthcare workers to unveil the intricacies of this process. It has noted major differences in patient discharge, transfer and rehabilitation across the countries. The project is currently outlining guidelines for clinical practice in this area, as well as best practices for undergraduate and postgraduate trainees in healthcare. This will streamline the handover process and standardise practices as much as possible, leading to a better system that improves well-being, saves lives and reduces healthcare costs.
