A recent study published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety investigated the development and evaluation of I-PASS-to-PICU, a standard electronic referral communication template in a single pediatric ICU (PICU) to improve communication for interfacility PICU transfers. The study addresses the effects of poor information exchanges during interfacility patient transfers, such as diagnostic discordance, care failures, and poor health outcomes. The authors also highlight that transfers of critically ill children to a higher level of care are at increased risk for poor information exchanges because pediatric emergency expertise is less common outside of tertiary centers, with up to 22% of transferred children receiving suboptimal care. The study shares how I-PASS-to-PICU was developed and evaluated at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital (IU SFCH) PICU and conceptualized as a receiver-driven handoff tool to be used primarily by PICU physicians to guide verbal communication and allow electronic documentation in real-time during PICU transfer calls. Individual and group interviews with 21 PICU staff members revealed that the I-PASS-to-PICU program was found feasible, usable, and relevant in facilitating high-quality information exchanges for critically ill pediatric transfers to the PICU. The study also concludes that I-PASS-to-PICU can be adapted to other similar institutions and clinical settings involving acute interfacility transfer of patients.

Read the article to learn more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1553725024000394?via%3Dihub