Comparison of a formatted versus traditional sign out process for physicians in the emergency department

Frequent interruptions, critically ill patients, and high patient turnover can make Emergency Department (ED) physician transitions of care (TOCs) challenging. Currently, there is no strict format for TOC in the ED. We structured a formatted ED TOC and evaluated the comparative effects from traditional TOC practice on the perceived quality of sign-out among physicians working in the ED.

We performed a prospective pre/post-interventional study utilizing convenience sampling in an urban community teaching hospital. The primary outcome was perceived quality of sign-out, as evaluated by the incoming physician one-hour after TOC, using the handoff-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (h-CEX) score with a 9-point scale for each category: Organized/Efficient, Communications Skills, Included Pertinent Information, Clinical Judgment, Patient Focused, Setting, and Overall Sign-Out Quality. Additional evaluation of unexpected tasks and errors from TOC w performed.

We included 344 patient TOC observed, of which 147 (43%) were formatted interventions while 197 (57%) were standard TOCs. After analysis in a random effects model, statistically significant improvements among resident physicians were seen for the formatted TOC: patient focused (mean difference 0.40), setting (mean difference 1.05), and overall (mean difference 0.68). The rate of unexpected tasks and errors were higher in the standard TOC, though not statistically significant.

Resident physicians saw improvement in several h-CEX categories with a formatted TOC. Consistent with prior studies, a formatted TOC for emergency medicine should be strongly considered, especially among learners.