ArticleThe Journal of surgical research2017
Assessing written communication during interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients.
Article in The Journal of surgical research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Association between health system navigation factors and preventable trauma mortality in Western Cape, South Africa.International journal of emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Radiographers' Experiences of Clinical Handover in Diagnostic Imaging: A Qualitative Study of Communication, Safety, and Organizational Influences.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Article
- Surgical interhospital transfer mortality: national analysis.The British journal of surgery · 2023Article
- A first look at consistency of documentation across care settings during emergency transitions of long-term care residents.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Factors associated with Interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients from emergency departments.The American journal of emergency medicine · 2021Article
- Exploring Health Professionals' Perceptions on Health-ID, an Electronic Integrated Patient Progress Documentation System: A Qualitative Study in Indonesia.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2020Article
- Assessing adequacy of emergency provider documentation among interhospital transferred patients with acute aortic dissection.World journal of emergency medicine · 2019Article
- Characteristics and Timing of Interhospital Transfers of Emergency General Surgery Patients.The Journal of surgical research · 2019Article
- Assessing utility and completeness of information transmission during emergency department transfers.International journal of emergency medicine · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPoor communication causes fragmented care. Studies of transitions of care within a hospital and on discharge suggest significant communication deficits. Communication during transfers between hospitals has not been well studied. We assessed the written communication provided during interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients. We hypothesized that patients are transferred with incomplete documentation from referring facilities.
methodsWe performed a retrospective review of written communication provided during interhospital transfers to our emergency department (ED) from referring EDs for emergency general surgical evaluation between January 1, 2014 and January 1, 2016. Elements of written communication were abstracted from referring facility documents scanned into the medical record using a standardized abstraction protocol. Descriptive statistics summarized the information communicated.
resultsA total of 129 patients met inclusion criteria. 87.6% (n = 113) of charts contained referring hospital documents. 42.5% (n = 48) were missing history and physicals. Diagnoses were missing in 9.7% (n = 11). Ninety-one computed tomography scans were performed; among 70 with reads, final reads were absent for 70.0% (n = 49). 45 ultrasounds and x-rays were performed; among 27 with reads, final reads were missing for 80.0% (n = 36). Reasons for transfer were missing in 18.6% (n = 21). Referring hospital physicians outside the ED were consulted in 32.7% (n = 37); consultants' notes were absent in 89.2% (n = 33). In 12.4% (n = 14), referring documents arrived after the patient's ED arrival and were not part of the original documentation provided.
conclusionsThis study documents that information important to patient care is often missing in the written communication provided during interhospital transfers. This gap affords a foundation for standardizing provider communication during interhospital transfers.
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