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Successful Patient Handoffs

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An Emergency Physician’s Path

Abstract

Transfer of care in the Emergency Department is one of the riskiest times for both the patient and physician. Sign-out, or patient handoff, is a transition of patient care between two physicians. There are many potential barriers to a good sign-out including noise, distractions, interruptions from staff, and the overall chaotic environment of the Emergency Department. In this section, we discuss the basic process of sign-out, potential distractions, as well as how to implement a standard approach to sign-out, improving overall safety and efficiency.

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Correspondence to Rachel Patterson .

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Patterson, R., Stankewicz, H. (2023). Successful Patient Handoffs. In: Olympia, R.P., Werley, E.B., Lubin, J.S., Yoon-Flannery, K. (eds) An Emergency Physician’s Path. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47873-4_63

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47873-4_63

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-47872-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-47873-4

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