Implementing a Warm Handoff Between Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility Clinicians

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery
• Patient safety
• Interprofessional communication

Background:

• Care transitions between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) present risks for adverse events due to communication breakdowns.
• Suboptimal communication between hospital and SNF clinicians necessitates improved patient handoff protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of a warm handoff process between hospital and SNF physicians and advanced practice providers.
• To enhance patient safety during hospital to SNF care transitions.

Main Methods:

• Hospital clinicians initiated real-time calls to SNF clinicians before patient transfer.
• Information relevant to ongoing care was communicated, allowing for questions.
• Handoff calls were documented in the hospital discharge summary.

Main Results:

• Warm handoff documentation increased from 15.78% in stage 1 to 46.89% in stage 3, with an overall average of 42.57%.
• Participant feedback highlighted concerns regarding the purpose, workload, and efficiency of the warm handoff process.

Conclusions:

• Warm handoffs show promise for improving communication in hospital-SNF transfers.
• Organizational structures and clinician workload present barriers to effective implementation.
• Addressing these barriers is crucial for sustained direct clinician communication initiatives.