Consequences of Inadequate Sign-out for Patient Care

Abstract

Transfers of responsibility for patient care are common in academic hospitals and have increased in frequency following work-hour restrictions.¹ Yet the processes that accompany shift changes, such as sign-out of clinical information among health care providers, are rarely standardized and often haphazardly managed.^1,2 Most resident physicians receive little training in sign-out skills, are poorly supervised when conducting sign-outs, and rely on low-tech forms of communication.^1,2