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Improving Patient Throughput by Implementing an Electronic Interunit Handoff
Palade, Mihaela Bieda, Amy Hash, Sonya
Palade, Mihaela
Bieda, Amy
Hash, Sonya
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Genre
Poster (Research)
Date
2025
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Committee member
Department
Nursing
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.34944/51h2-s632
Abstract
Background: Emergency department (ED) boarding—the prolonged holding of patients awaiting inpatient beds—impacts care quality, efficiency, and outcomes. It contributes to overcrowding, higher mortality rates, delayed interventions, and longer hospital stays. Research has linked extended boarding to worsened clinical outcomes, particularly for critically ill patients. Problem: A suburban county hospital has faced increasing delays in patient handoffs due to challenges in reaching observation nurses for verbal reports. Communication barriers have contributed to prolonged wait times between bed assignment and the "ready to move" (RTM) status, resulting in inefficiencies in patient flow and potential impacts on care delivery. Intervention: A standardized electronic handoff system was initiated between a hospital's ED and OBS unit, replacing verbal reports with an Epic Event Log Summary and structured PACC (Pain, Ambulation, Continence, Contact) notes. Using a pre-/post-intervention design, the study measured time from bed assignment to 'ready to move' status, aiming for completion under 30 minutes. Results: Evaluation of the electronic handoff system compared the time from bed assignment to "ready to move" (RTM) status. Statistical analysis, after removing outliers, indicated a significant reduction in RTM times from 51 to 40.97 minutes (p < 0.001). The mean rank decreased from 212.64 before to 166.88 after implementation, demonstrating improved efficiency in patient transitions. Conclusion: Implementing an electronic handoff system improved workflow efficiency and standardized patient reports. Standardized templates and secure chat confirmations improved communication, reduced boarding time, and enhanced patient flow.
Description
A poster presented at the 2025 TUHS Nursing Research & EBP Conference, which took place April 24, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA.
Citation
Palade, M., Bieda, A., & Hash, S. (2025 Apr). Improving Patient Throughput by Implementing an Electronic Interunit Handoff. Presented at the 2025 TUHS Nursing Research & EBP Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
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