Quality Improvement in Patient HandoffNCT01796756
Quality Improvement in Handover of General Internal Medicine In-patients
A study testing Handover program in people with Quality Improvement in Patient Handoff, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Miscommunication during patient handover can jeopardize patient safety and is the focus of Quality Improvement initiatives by many organizations. It is widely recognized that such miscommunication is preventable using a number of strategies identified in the literature. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Quality Improvement in Patient Handoff
- What is being tested?
- Handover program
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,168 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- Jan 2013to Nov 2015
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Residents, medical students, and patients
- Residents and medical students will be any rotating through General Internal Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital
- Patients will be any admitted to General Internal Medicine and cared for during on-call hours (defined as 18:00 - 07:00)
Who cannot join
- None for residents and medical students
- Patients who are not being cared for during on-call hours (defined as 18:00 - 07:00)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Miscommunication during patient handover can jeopardize patient safety and is the focus of Quality Improvement initiatives by many organizations. It is widely recognized that such miscommunication is preventable using a number of strategies identified in the literature.
Currently, there is no formal handover process of General Internal Medicine in-patients, otherwise known as the Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) at Vancouver General Hospital, which is a major patient safety concern. This project will implement a formal handover program and evaluate whether there are changes in resident satisfaction with handover, but more importantly, whether the investigators can improve patient outcomes.
- Conditions
- Quality Improvement in Patient Handoff
- Being tested
- Handover program
- Keywords
- Handover, Handoff, Signout, Quality Improvement, General Internal Medicine
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Handover programOther
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Handover program | Experimental | Standardized handover program Dedicated place and time Template Face-to-face communication Evidence-based education session Feedback and audit Receives: Other: Handover program |
| Usual handover practice | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Proportion of patients handed over to the on-call resident/Clinical Associate (CA)
Measured: 5 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 Feb 2013 (estimated)
- Study startJan 2013
- Primary completionNov 2015
- Study completionNov 2015
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Quality Improvement in Patient HandoffStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of British ColumbiaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider
- Enrolment
- 1,168 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of British Columbia
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Canadian Medical Protective Association
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Penny Tam, BSc, MD, Principal investigator, Vancouver General Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01796756
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H11-03542
- Status last verified
- Jan 2016
- First submitted
- 14 Feb 2013
- Last updated
- 15 Jan 2016
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Tam P, Nijjar AP, Fok M, Little C, Shingina A, Bittman J, Raghavan R, Khan NA. Structured patient handoff on an internal medicine ward: A cluster randomized control trial. PLoS One. 2018 Apr 19;13(4):e0195216. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195216. eCollection 2018.
PubMed 29672526
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Jan 2016. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Quality Improvement in Handover of General Internal Medicine In-patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01796756
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- H11-03542
- Conditions
- Quality Improvement in Patient Handoff
- Keywords
- Handover, Handoff, Signout, Quality Improvement, General Internal Medicine
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,168 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of British ColumbiaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Canadian Medical Protective Association
- Study start
- Jan 2013
- Primary completion
- Nov 2015 (actual)
- Study completion
- Nov 2015 (actual)
- First posted
- 22 Feb 2013 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Miscommunication during patient handover can jeopardize patient safety and is the focus of Quality Improvement initiatives by many organizations. It is widely recognized that such miscommunication is preventable using a number of strategies identified in the literature.
Currently, there is no formal handover process of General Internal Medicine in-patients, otherwise known as the Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) at Vancouver General Hospital, which is a major patient safety concern. This project will implement a formal handover program and evaluate whether there are changes in resident satisfaction with handover, but more importantly, whether the investigators can improve patient outcomes.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (care provider)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Handover program | Experimental | Other: Handover programStandardized handover program Dedicated place and time Template Face-to-face communication Evidence-based education session Feedback and audit |
| Usual handover practice | No intervention | – |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Residents, medical students, and patients
- Residents and medical students will be any rotating through General Internal Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital
- Patients will be any admitted to General Internal Medicine and cared for during on-call hours (defined as 18:00 - 07:00)
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- None for residents and medical students
- Patients who are not being cared for during on-call hours (defined as 18:00 - 07:00)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Handover program | Other | Handover program |
Primary outcome
Proportion of patients handed over to the on-call resident/Clinical Associate (CA)
Time frame: 5 months
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Jan 2016.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 29672526Tam P, Nijjar AP, Fok M, Little C, Shingina A, Bittman J, Raghavan R, Khan NA. Structured patient handoff on an internal medicine ward: A cluster randomized control trial. PLoS One. 2018 Apr 19;13(4):e0195216. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195216. eCollection 2018.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Penny Tam, BSc, MD principal investigator
Vancouver General Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Handover program in people with Quality Improvement in Patient Handoff, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Jan 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Proportion of patients handed over to the on-call resident/Clinical Associate (CA) (time frame: 5 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01796756, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Jan 2016.