Standardizing Handoff: From Operating Room to Intensive Care Unit

The transfer of patient information that is shared among health care providers during transitions of care is an integral component of the handoff process that ensures patient safety and continuity of care. The postoperative period is one of high acuity. Communication failures during the acute phase of transfer from operating room to intensive care unit leave critically ill patients vulnerable to devastating adverse outcomes. The problem identified in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) of a North Philadelphia hospital is a lack of standardization with postoperative patient handoffs. The purpose of this project is to assess the impact of utilizing a standardized postoperative handoff tool and to evaluate the satisfaction of SICU nurses through a Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) methodology of quality improvement (QI).