Information tools for care coordination in patient handover: Is an electronic medical record enough to support nurses?

BACKGROUND: Effectiveness of end-of-shift patient handover between nurses may be impacted by poor communication. This can be improved with the use of information tools, either electronic or paper-based. Few studies have investigated the activities that support patient handover, and fewer have explored how several of these tools used together affects the handover process. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to understand coordination challenges in end-of-shift patient handover between nurses and the influence of multiple information tools used in that context. METHODOLOGY: A qualitative methodology to investigate phenomena in an acute care hospital in the United States was used in this study. Semistructured interviews were used to elicit insights from 16 nurses. Data were analyzed by coding three types of task dependencies (prerequisite, simultaneous, and shared) and three information tools (electronic medical records [EMRs], Kardex, and printouts of EMR data). RESULTS: In preparation for a handover, nurses were burdened by ensuring that information in the EMR was correct and complete. A one-sheet Kardex was the tool nurses in the study preferred, because the essential information was at hand and it provided structure to the communication. Printouts of EMR data were often physically cumbersome and not useful in their current form, although they may be useful for communicating anomalous data. CONCLUSION: This study provides insights regarding the challenges of care coordination in end-of-shift patient handover between nurses and the usages of a variety of information tools in preparation for handover, as well as the actual handover process. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Multiple interrelated information tools may be used to support patient handover. Health leaders should focus efforts on further advancing protocols for end-of-shift nurse handovers. Health system designers should design information tools to align them with their defined purpose in the handover process. Future work should consider both the information needs of nurses and the goal of improving nurse workflows.

National Needs Assessment for a Pediatric Trauma Toolkit: General Requirements for Moderate- and High-Volume Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Optimal outcomes have been reported for children treated at pediatric trauma centers; however, most children are treated at nonpediatric trauma centers or nonpediatric general hospitals. Hospitals that are not verified or designated pediatric trauma centers may lack the training and level of comfort and skill when treating severely injured children. OBJECTIVE: This study focused on identifying common pediatric guidelines for standardization across all trauma centers to inform a pediatric trauma toolkit. METHODS: A needs assessment survey was developed highlighting the guidelines from an expert committee review. The purpose of the survey was to prioritize needed items for the development of a pediatric trauma toolkit. Professional trauma organizations distributed the survey to their respective memberships to ensure good representation of people who care for traumatically injured children and work in trauma centers. Deidentified survey results were analyzed with frequencies and descriptive statistics provided. Data were compared by hospital trauma verification level using a chi-square test. The value of p < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 303 people responded to the survey. The majority of respondents reported a high value in the creation of a pediatric trauma toolkit for the guidelines that were included. There was variability in the reported access to the guidelines, indicating a significant need for the toolkit development and dissemination. CONCLUSION: As expected, Level III centers reported the largest gaps in access to standardized pediatric guidelines and demonstrated high levels of interest and need.

Child Protection Team Consultation for Injuries Potentially Due to Child Abuse in Community Emergency Departments.

OBJECTIVES: Emergency care for children is provided predominantly in community emergency departments (CEDs), where abusive injuries frequently go unrecognized. Increasing access to regional child abuse experts may improve detection of abuse in CEDs. In three CEDs, we intervened to increase involvement of a regional hospital child protection team (CPT) for injuries associated with abuse in children < 12 months old. We aimed to increase CPT consultations about these infants from the 3% baseline to an average of 50% over 12 months. METHODS: We interviewed CED providers to identify barriers and facilitators to recognizing and reporting abuse. Providers described difficulties differentiating abusive from nonabusive injuries and felt that a second opinion would help. Using a plan-do-study-act approach, beginning in April 2018, we tested, refined, and implemented interventions to increase the frequency of CPT consultation, including leadership and champion engagement, provider training, clinical pathway implementation, and an audit and feedback process. Data were collected for 15 months before and 17 months after initiation of interventions. We used a statistical process control chart to track CPT consultations about children < 1 year old with high-risk injuries, use of skeletal surveys (SSs), and reports to child protective services (CPS). RESULTS: Evidence of special cause was identified beginning in June 2018, with a shift of 8 points to one side of the center line. For the subsequent 8-month period, the CPT was consulted for a mean of 47.5% of children with high-risk injuries; this was sustained for an additional 7 months. The average percentage of infants with high-risk injuries who received a SS increased from 6.7% to 18.9% and who were reported to CPS increased from 10.7% to 32.6%. CONCLUSION: Targeted interventions in CEDs increased the frequency of CPT consultation, SS use, and reports to CPS for infants with high-risk injuries. Such interventions may improve recognition of physical abuse.

A first-year middle school science teacher's experiences navigating science content in a Dual Language Immersion Program.

Dual Language Immersion Programs (DLIPs) are offered as a way to address the needs of the students in our classrooms with a primary language other than English and a way to promote multilingualism for both English learners and native-English speakers. This study examined a first-year middle school science teacher's experience teaching in a DLIP. The authors focused on the teacher's challenges and how he handled the tensions between teaching science content and addressing issues of language development in a DLIP classroom environment. Based on classroom observations, pre- and post-year interviews, and weekly teacher reflections, themes emerged that reveal the teacher's concern with teaching science in Spanish, the need for support from both administration and science content and DLIP mentors, students' willingness to use Spanish, and the teacher's lack of familiarity with DLIP curriculum and pedagogy, particularly in regard to balancing the teaching of content and language. This study provides implications for both teacher preparation programs and for DLIP school administrators.

A Qualitative Study of Multidisciplinary Providers' Experiences With the Transfer Process for Injured Children and Ideas for Improvement.

OBJECTIVE: Most injured children initially present to a community hospital, and many will require transfer to a regional pediatric trauma center. The purpose of this study was 1) to explore multidisciplinary providers' experiences with the process of transferring injured children and 2) to describe proposed ideas for process improvement. METHODS: This qualitative study involved 26 semistructured interviews. Subjects were recruited from 6 community hospital emergency departments and the trauma and transport teams of a level I pediatric trauma center in New Haven, Conn. Participants (n = 34) included interprofessional providers from sending facilities, transport teams, and receiving facilities. Using the constant comparative method, a multidisciplinary team coded transcripts and collectively refined codes to generate recurrent themes across interviews until theoretical saturation was achieved. RESULTS: Participants reported that the transfer process for injured children is complex, stressful, and necessitates collaboration. The transfer process was perceived to involve numerous interrelated components, including professions, disciplines, and institutions. The 5 themes identified as areas to improve this transfer process included 1) Creation of a unified standard operating procedure that crosses institutions/teams, 2) Enhancing 'shared sense making' of all providers, 3) Improving provider confidence, expertise, and skills in caring for pediatric trauma transfer cases, 4) Addressing organization and environmental factors that may impede/delay transfer, and 5) Fostering institutional and personal relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to improve the transfer process for injured children should be guided by the experiences of and input from multidisciplinary frontline emergency providers.

Feasibility of providing child restraint devices after a motor vehicle crash in a pediatric emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) cause disproportionate childhood morbidity and mortality. Ensuring that children are placed in appropriate child restraint devices (CRDs) would significantly reduce injuries and deaths as well as medical costs. The goal of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of providing child restraint devices after an MVC in a pediatric emergency department (PED). METHODS: A guideline was developed to assess the need for CRDs for patients discharged from a PED after an MVC. Providers were educated on the use of the guideline. Caregivers were provided a brief educational intervention on legislation, proper installation, and best practices prior to distribution of a CRD. Quality assurance was conducted weekly to monitor for any missed opportunities. RESULTS: From August 31, 2015, to August 31, 2016, 291 patients <7 years were evaluated in the PED of a level 1 trauma center following an MVC. Two hundred forty-seven children were correctly identified according to the guidelines (84.9%). Of these, 187 (75.7%) were identified as not requiring a replacement seat and 60 (24.3%) required a CRD replacement based on crash mechanisms and restraint use status and received a CRD replacement. Of the remaining 44 children, 38 (86.4%) whose crash mechanisms were severe enough or who were inappropriately restrained were not provided a CRD and thus missed; 6 (13.6%) received a replacement seat even though criteria were not met. Thus, PED providers correctly identified 61.2% (60/98) of children who required CRD replacement after an MVC. CONCLUSION: Caring for children who present for evaluation after an MVC offers an opportunity for ED personnel to provide education to caregivers about the appropriate use of CRDs and state legislation. Establishing guidelines for the provision of a CRD for children who present to an ED following an MVC may help to improve the safety of children being transported in motor vehicles. Having a systematic process and adequate supply of CRDs readily available contributes to the success of children being discharged with the appropriate age- and weight-based CRD after being treated in an ED following an MVC.