Yet when physicians are associated with an adverse event, research shows they feel they have little support to talk about it.
“The system we have in place has begun to try to address some of the issues related to system errors,” says Dr. Halasyamani. “But what if an individual does have an error? What systems do we have in place to support that person in the recovery? And along the way if we find people who are having these issues over and over again, we need to design processes to deal with that.”
One particular focus of SHM’s transfer-of-care initiative concerns communication surrounding handoffs. “We are setting those standards and thinking about what kinds of technology tools can help make those standards easier to adhere to and easier to implement,” says Dr. Halasyamani. TH
Andrea Sattinger is a frequent contributor to The Hospitalist.