Work

Preparation for Residency: Effect of Formalized Patient Handover Instruction for Fourth-Year Medical Students

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A major aspect of transition of care is the patient handover, during which miscommunication can significantly cause medical error and harm in patient care. Few medical schools in the U.S. offer formalized instructions on patient handovers, with most medical students learning from interns and residents through unstructured teaching. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a patient handover curriculum we developed for fourth-year medical students to increase their confidence and skills. Graduating fourth-year medical students (N = 98) enrolled in a two-week Transition to Residency (TTR) course attended an interactive session on patient handovers. During this session, students were presented with the I-PASS (illness severity, patient summary, action items, situation awareness and contingency planning, synthesis by receiver) mnemonic, went over case vignettes, and practiced giving and receiving handovers with a partner using the I-PASS template. At the end of TTR, students participated in an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) activity that consisted of two standardized patient cases on blood transfusion and informed consent. Overall, our students did well with including important information in their Patient Summary (P: Case Scenario 1 Mean Score 56%; Case Scenario 2 Mean Score: 68%) and Action List (A: Case Scenario 2 Mean Score; 78%; Case Scenario 2 Mean Score: 87%) in their simulated patient case scenario. Pre-and-post survey results also indicated a significant improvement on student level of confidence (agreed or strongly agreed) in giving a patient handover (Pre: 53.1%; Post: 93.6%, p < 0.001), in receiving a patient handover (Pre: 58.2%; Post: 92.5%, p < 0.001), and in knowing what pertinent information to include in a patient handover (Pre: 62.2%; Post: 89.4%, p < 0.001). This study underscores the importance of systematic and repeated patient handover education throughout medical school training.

Source: International Medical Education

DOI: 10.3390/ime4020010

Authors: Masooma Kazmi, Stacey Wong, Perrilynn Conklin, David Cohen, Andrew Wackett, Wei-Hsin Lu

Institutions: Yale University, Stony Brook University

Language: English

Topic: Hospital Admissions and Outcomes

Subfield: Emergency Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,207