- Handoff: is the process of transferring professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a patient, or group of patients, to another person or group on a temporary or permanent basis.
- Communication: The process by which information is exchange between individuals, groups, and organizations. In order to be effective, communication should be complete, clear, concise, and timely.
i-Draw: The tool to facilitate communication during handoff. The acronym presents:
I Patient Identification ( 2 Identifiers)
D Diagnosis
R Relevant Past History/Recent Changes
A Anticipated Changes
W Watch out for…follow up and task/ What to do…plan
Advantages
- To support patient safety, staff and physicians share information about a patients care in a consistent manner.
- To define a standardized method which facilitates the effective and efficient communication of appropriate patient information between physicians involved with the care of the patient.