Addition of CORES to the I-PASS Handoff: A Resident-led Quality Improvement Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient safety
• Medical education

Background:

• Effective patient handoffs are crucial for quality care.
• Structured systems like the I-PASS mnemonic improve handoffs.
• This study evaluates interventions post-I-PASS implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess compliance with I-PASS elements.
• Determine if CORES electronic tool improves compliance and sustainability.
• Evaluate the impact of resident reeducation.

Main Methods:

• Continuous quality improvement study using two plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles.
• PDSA 1: Implemented CORES electronic tool.
• PDSA 2: Reeducated residents on I-PASS; compliance assessed via checklist; survey administered post-PDSA 2.

Main Results:

• Initial compliance with I-PASS elements was 47% (PDSA 1).
• After PDSA 2 (CORES + reeducation), overall compliance increased to 67%.
• Survey showed 100% of residents reported improved handoffs with CORES.

Conclusions:

• Neither CORES implementation nor resident reeducation restored high postintervention compliance.
• Sustaining high-quality handoffs requires ongoing strategies beyond initial bundle implementation.