Implementing IPASS Handoff to Improve Patient Safety in Pediatric Critical Care Transport

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Critical Care
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Communication failures are a leading cause of patient safety events in healthcare.
• Standardized handoff tools are crucial for effective information transfer in critical care settings.
• Prehospital pediatric critical care transport requires robust communication protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate the IPASS (Illness severity, Patient summary, Action items, Situational awareness, and Synthesis) handoff tool in pediatric critical care transport.
• To enhance patient safety by reducing misreporting or omission of critical information during inter-facility transfers.
• To assess the impact of a standardized handoff tool on staff perception of comprehensiveness and satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A standardized, hospital-based bedside handoff report (IPASS) was implemented in prehospital pediatric critical care transport.
• Pre- and postsurveys were administered to assess staff perceptions of handoff comprehensiveness and satisfaction.
• The study was conducted at a level 1 pediatric trauma center in the Southern United States.

Main Results:

• Improvement was noted in 6 out of 8 surveyed items.
• Staff reported better audibility of handoff information and a more functional format.
• Overall satisfaction with the handoff process increased by 80%, with smoother patient transfers to the Emergency Department (ED).

Conclusions:

• Standardized IPASS handoffs in pediatric critical care transport promote patient safety.
• The implementation of IPASS increased comprehension of patient information among team members.
• The study supports the use of standardized handoff tools to increase staff satisfaction in critical care transport settings.