With patient safety institute I-PASS, the Kentucky Hospital Association has launched an effort to reduce communication breakdowns by improving efficiency of clinical handoffs across 128 hospitals statewide.
The I-PASS care model prioritizes comprehensive communication during clinical handoffs. It's specifically a mnemonic tool that highlights communicating illness severity, patient summary, a related action list, situational planning and a synthesis repeated of that information by the recipient taking over care.
"We recognize that improved communication is integral to advancing patient care quality and mitigating known drivers of employee turnover and burnout," Deborah Campbell, vice president of clinical strategy and transformation at KHA stated in the Nov.15 news release. "The [Kentucky Hospital Association Transitions and Communication in Hospitals] program will provide our members with funded access to a valid, reliable tool for improving patient safety and establish a universal language for care transitions at institutions across the Commonwealth. We're proud to endorse I-PASS and expand access to their services."