Poor handoff processes

Poor handoff processes

Handoff processes are essential in every healthcare organization; hence, managers must substantially execute them smoothly. These processes usually involve the acceptance and transfer of the responsibilities of patient care attained through effective communication. Thus handoffs ensure that specific information concerning patients is passed successfully from one caregiver to another and even to a team of caregivers to ensure there is continuity as well as safety during the patient’s care. Due to their importance, several handoff processes have been established; nonetheless, while most are useful, some of these processes are poor and affect both an organization and the patients.

Poor handoff processes can affect an organization. An organization lacks professionalism as providers fail to create protected space and time for the handoff during changing of shifts. They also reduce the organization’s ability to organize rationales for plans the various tasks to be executed and for the care of patients (Lee et al., 2016). Moreover, poor handoff processes reduce the collaboration, coordination, and cooperation between caregivers, thus reducing teamwork at the workplace. Alternately, they cause an organization’s management support to be faced with cynicism if the resources for rectifying errors caused by poor handoff processes become insufficient (Lee et al., 2016). Therefore, poor handoff processes reduce teamwork and its productivity, tarnish the organization’s reputation, and can adversely affect its resources.

These poor handoff processes similarly impact patients. The patients can be harmed as the information conveyed might be incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, and misinterpreted. These poor processes similarly result in several sentinel events for the patients, such as wrong-site surgeries, medication errors, and delay in treatments, which could adversely affect their health and even cause deaths (The Joint Commission, 2017). Thus poor handoff processes escalate medical errors and adverse events, which put the safety of several patients at risk.

Despite the effects caused by poor handoff processes, organizations can implement other effective handoff processes to counter the issue of poor transitioning of care in health facilities. Mnemonics like I-PASS and electronic communications like video conferences and telephones are handoffs that effectively transition care (The Joint Commission, 2017). Both handoffs ensure timely communication and receiving of handoff contents. However, while I-PASS requires support by elements like cultural change and training, telephones and video conferences do not, thus the latter is more comfortable to implement. Alternately, I-PASS ensures that ample time is created for the chance of asking questions, whereas phones and video conferences may not (The Joint Commission, 2017). Therefore, organizations should select appropriate handoffs.

Furthermore, as a manager, it is vital to execute methods to ensure a smooth process at the facility. For instance, managers should not single out individual errors but instead improve the facility’s systematic technique to handoffs. Budget resources, time, and support should also be used as initiatives for smooth handoff processes as well as quality improvement (The Joint Commission, 2017). Managers must also emphasize trust, teamwork, responsibilities and roles, situational awareness, safety culture, and conflict resolution in training exercises. Thus, mangers are essential for the smooth running of processes in organizations.

Despite the importance of handoffs in health organizations, there are poor handoff processes that adversely impact the organizations and the patients. Organizations could end up spending several of their resources to correct errors caused by the poor processes. Moreover, the health of patients can worsen, or even they might lose their lives due to adverse events like wrong-site operations. Nonetheless, poor handoffs can be rectified by introducing video conferences and telephones as well as I-PASS, which ensure timely and correct information is communicated and received. Furthermore, managers can guarantee smooth processes by providing initiatives like time and budget resources.