In a recent report, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) assessed the effectiveness of structured handoff protocols for improving patient safety outcomes across 10 years of clinical evidence. Analyzing unpublished reports from January 2013 to June/July 2024, the study evaluated the impact of structured protocols for handoffs within the same inpatient unit for evidence supporting the use of the I-PASS structured handoff tool. The study identified 16 articles eligible for review, including 14 articles (of 13 primary studies); almost all studies were conducted in academic teaching hospitals and assessed physician-to-physician handoffs. Across 10 studies, the AHRQ found moderate-certainty evidence that the I-PASS tool can improve patient safety clinical outcomes. While numerous structured handoff tools exist, I-PASS has the strongest certainty of evidence in reducing medical errors and the most developed set of implementation strategies and tools. As the frequency of within-unit handoffs increased, this study emphasized the importance of optimizing handoff tools for use in other mediums and setting types, laying the groundwork for potential applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning predictive analytics to refine patient support.
Read the study to learn more: https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/related_files/structured-handoff-rapid-research.pdf