LETTERS TO EDITOR
The Authors Reply: “Association of Face-to-Face Handoffs and Outcomes of Hospitalized Internal Medicine Patients” Will M. Schouten, MD1, M. Caroline Burton, MD2, LaKisha D. Jones, DO3, James Newman, MD3, Deanne T. Kashiwagi, MD3 1 3
Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; 2Division of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida; Division of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
We appreciate the comments from Drs. Singh and Petrosyan regarding our study.1 Dr. Singh highlights the variety of handoff structures currently employed by hospitalist groups around the world. A one-size-fits-all approach to designing and implementing handoff procedures will fail to meet the individual needs of providers in their respective practice settings. For some, face-toface handoffs may not be feasible, and alternative modalities (eg, phone, email) may be more efficient. Our study suggests that handoffs without a face-to-face interaction can occur while preserving patient safety. Regardless of the modality utilized, however, we believe handoffs must preserve some mechanism for receiving providers to contact those giving handoffs to clarify patient information to ensure a safe care transition.
Dr. Petrosyan asserts that the results of our study may have been impacted by cognitive biases, specifically those of the providers receiving handoffs. This is certainly plausible. Our review of the literature does not identify any studies specifically examining the impact of cognitive bias at the time of patient handoff. We agree that additional study is necessary. Better understanding of potential cognitive biases, especially at the time of handoff, may allow for the design of handoff procedures that mitigate their effects. References 1. Schouten WM, Burton MC, Jones LD, Newman J, Kashiwagi DT. Association of face-to-face handoffs and outcomes of hospitalized internal medicine patients. J Hosp Med. 2015;10(3): 137–141.
2015 Society of Hospital Medicine DOI 10.1002/jhm.2383 Published online in Wiley Online Library (Wileyonlinelibrary.com).
An Official Publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol 10 | No 8 | August 2015
559
The Authors Reply: “Association of Face-to-Face Handoffs and Outcomes of Hospitalized Internal Medicine Patients” Will M. Schouten, MD1, M. Caroline Burton, MD2, LaKisha D. Jones, DO3, James Newman, MD3, Deanne T. Kashiwagi, MD3 1 3
Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; 2Division of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida; Division of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
We appreciate the comments from Drs. Singh and Petrosyan regarding our study.1 Dr. Singh highlights the variety of handoff structures currently employed by hospitalist groups around the world. A one-size-fits-all approach to designing and implementing handoff procedures will fail to meet the individual needs of providers in their respective practice settings. For some, face-toface handoffs may not be feasible, and alternative modalities (eg, phone, email) may be more efficient. Our study suggests that handoffs without a face-to-face interaction can occur while preserving patient safety. Regardless of the modality utilized, however, we believe handoffs must preserve some mechanism for receiving providers to contact those giving handoffs to clarify patient information to ensure a safe care transition.
Dr. Petrosyan asserts that the results of our study may have been impacted by cognitive biases, specifically those of the providers receiving handoffs. This is certainly plausible. Our review of the literature does not identify any studies specifically examining the impact of cognitive bias at the time of patient handoff. We agree that additional study is necessary. Better understanding of potential cognitive biases, especially at the time of handoff, may allow for the design of handoff procedures that mitigate their effects. References 1. Schouten WM, Burton MC, Jones LD, Newman J, Kashiwagi DT. Association of face-to-face handoffs and outcomes of hospitalized internal medicine patients. J Hosp Med. 2015;10(3): 137–141.
2015 Society of Hospital Medicine DOI 10.1002/jhm.2383 Published online in Wiley Online Library (Wileyonlinelibrary.com).
An Official Publication of the Society of Hospital Medicine
Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol 10 | No 8 | August 2015
559
