Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim of this project is to develop and validate a simple, flexible, reliable, real-time observation tool to evaluate hand-off practices. The Hand-off CEX is a paper-based instrument that can be used to evaluate either the sender or the receiver of hand-off communication. This tool is based on a previously-validated, widely-used, real-time educational evaluation tool (the Mini-CEX); published expert opinion; and our prior research . The investigators' tool incorporates unique role-based anchors for both senders and receivers that refer to verbal communication, professionalism and environment, hand-off domains informed by preliminary work and expert opinion. The Hand-off CEX(Clinical Evaluation Exercise) will be used by academic hospitalists and house-staff physicians to assess feasibility. We, the investigators, will also assess the construct validity and inter-rater reliability of the tool through the use of standardized, videotaped hand-off scenarios depicting various levels of performance of a hand-off scenario.

We hypothesize that the Hand-off CEX will arm educators with an innovative, necessary, valid and feasible method for training health professionals to conduct safe and effective hand-offs. Finally, the Hand-off CEX will be a useful tool to assist hospitals in improving patient safety.


Clinical Trial Description

Transitions of patient care among inpatient providers occur frequently and require providers to transmit critical clinical information. If information is omitted or misunderstood during a hand-off, serious clinical consequences may result for patient care. In fact, studies have shown that hand-offs are often variable and represent a major gap in safe patient care. For patients cared for by resident physicians, dangers posed by poor communication may be amplified since the implementation of resident duty hour restrictions in July 2003 has increased transfer frequency.In addition, few trainees receive formal training on hand-offs. The Joint Commission currently requires hospitals to implement a standardized, interactive approach to hand-off communications. Unfortunately, due to a lack of valid, standardized tools to evaluate hand-off quality, hospitals and educators cannot assess whether their hand-offs meet these criteria. More recently, the Institute of Medicine has recommended that all residents receive formal education on hand-off strategies.

Education about best practices during hand-offs and assessment of hand-off quality is needed for several reasons: to improve clinical practice through evaluation and feedback, to illuminate areas of deficiency in current practices and to maximize patient safety in this era of duty hour restrictions. At the University of Chicago and Yale, investigators have extensive experience in describing hand-off quality, designing and implementing novel curricula to improve hand-off education amongst varying levels of trainees and have elucidated the relationship between patient care outcomes and poor hand-off quality. Therefore, drawing from our preliminary work in this area, and relevant practices in other industries, we aim to develop and test a generalizable tool to evaluate hand-offs in clinical settings. ;


Study Design

Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Cross-Sectional


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT01059942
Study type Observational
Source University of Chicago
Contact
Status Completed
Phase N/A
Start date January 2010
Completion date December 2012

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT05203146 - PIMPmyHospital: a Mobile App to Improve Emergency Care Efficiency and Communication N/A
Completed NCT04105751 - Testing a Novel Manual Communication System for Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients N/A
Completed NCT04595695 - The Effect of Clear Masks in Improving Patient Relationships N/A
Completed NCT05540444 - RadConnect Communication Application
Recruiting NCT04317664 - Intervention to Improve Driving Practices Among High-Risk Teen Drivers Phase 3
Completed NCT05812599 - Understanding COVID-19 Testing Knowledge and Practices Among 2-1-1 Helpline Callers N/A
Completed NCT03221985 - ESM Pilot: Mobile Phones and Psychology N/A
Completed NCT02695316 - Barrier-free Communication in Maternity Care of Allophone Migrants N/A
Completed NCT03203018 - Health Literacy and Cardiovascular Knowledge Workshop in Women From Disadvantaged Communities N/A
Completed NCT02619474 - The Effect of Whiteboards on Patient Satisfaction N/A
Completed NCT02267265 - Pilot Study of Novel Postpartum Educational Video Intervention N/A
Completed NCT01933789 - Improving Communication About Serious Illness N/A
Completed NCT01697137 - Patient and Physician Intervention to Increase Organ Donation N/A
Completed NCT01459744 - An Intervention to Improve Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Deactivation Conversations N/A
Recruiting NCT01170000 - Timely End-of-Life Communication to Parents of Children With Brain Tumors N/A
Completed NCT01040975 - Teen CHAT: Improving Physician Communication With Adolescents About Healthy Weight N/A
Completed NCT03044145 - The Cultural Formulation Interview-Engagement Aid N/A
Recruiting NCT04533126 - Channels of Communication & Brain Functioning: Pilot fMRI Study
Withdrawn NCT03901547 - Emotion Regulation and Burnout Impact on Communication Documentation N/A
Completed NCT06081660 - Advance Care Planning for Older Latinos With Chronic Illness N/A