[Patient handoffs in undergraduate medical education: A systematic analysis of training needs]

Insufficient handoffs lead to an increase in the risk of complications and malpractice, treatment delays, prolonged hospital stays, costs and patient complaints. The German Society for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (DGAI) and the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) recommend the implementation of a communication procedure according to the SBAR concept. So far, there have been few curricular requirements in Germany regarding handoffs.

As part of the EU-funded PATIENT project an online-based cross-sectional needs analysis was conducted in three countries. In Aachen, 237 medical students answered 45 items concerning handoffs in three sections: A: skills (relevance and self-assessment), B: clinical experience (agreement), C: curricula content (presence and relevance). Data was recorded using a Likert scale (0-7).

The students rated an adequate handoff performance as highly important (M=6.8; SD: ±0.6) and their own expertise as low (M=4.0; SD: ±1.3). A high training need was identified for writing discharge letters and performing accurate handoffs. The students were aware of the link between adequate handoffs and patient safety (M=6.5; SD: ±0.9). They considered standardized handoff procedures as an important curricular component (M=6.1; SD: ±1.1). From their point of view, the handling of medical errors is underrepresented in the curriculum (61.7 %).

A need for handoff training was revealed, especially regarding transfers and discharges. Accordingly, learning objectives were determined and training modules developed and integrated into the curriculum in Aachen.