Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33416509›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2021

Effectiveness of an Electronic Communication Tool on Transitions in Care From the Intensive Care Unit: Protocol for a Cluster-Specific Pre-Post Trial.

Jeanna Parsons Leigh, Rebecca Brundin-Mather, Liam Whalen-Browne, Devika Kashyap, Khara Sauro, Andrea Soo, Jennie Petersen, Monica Taljaard, Henry T Stelfox

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03590002 (A Cluster-specific Pre-post Trial With Randomized and Staggered Implementation to Evaluate the Effectiveness of an Electronic ICU Medical Transfer of Care Document to Improve Communication During ICU-to-Ward Transfers of Care), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03590002 nacompletednot on this map

A Cluster-specific Pre-post Trial With Randomized and Staggered Implementation to Evaluate the Effectiveness of an Electronic ICU Medical Transfer of Care Document to Improve Communication During ICU-to-Ward Transfers of Care

TypeinterventionalSponsorHenry T. Stelfox, MD PhDRan2018 to 2021Enrolled1,751ConditionsCritical Illness, Transitions of CareArmsElectronic ICU Medical Transfer Tool
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jeanna Parsons LeighSchool of Health Administration, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8408-674X
Rebecca Brundin-MatherDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4576-6232
Liam Whalen-BrowneDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1335-9413
Devika KashyapCritical Care Medicine, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9070-5199
Khara SauroDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7658-4351
Andrea SooDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5373-7239
Jennie PetersenFaculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St Catharines, ON, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3175-5145
Monica TaljaardClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3978-8961
Henry T StelfoxDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1231-1490

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTransitions in care are vulnerable periods in health care that can expose patients to preventable errors due to incomplete or delayed communication between health care providers. Transitioning critically ill patients from intensive care units (ICUs) to other patient care units (PCUs) is particularly risky, due to the high acuity of the patients and the diversity of health care providers involved in their care. Instituting structured documentation to standardize written communication between health care providers during transitions has been identified as a promising means to reduce communication breakdowns. We developed an evidence-informed, computer-enabled, ICU-specific structured tool-an electronic transfer (e-transfer) tool-to facilitate and standardize the composition of written transfer summaries in the ICUs of one Canadian city. The tool consisted of 10 primary sections with a user interface combination of structured, automated, and free-text fields.

objectiveOur overarching goal is to evaluate whether implementation of our e-transfer tool will improve the completeness and timeliness of transfer summaries and streamline communications between health care providers during high-risk transitions.

methodsThis study is a cluster-specific pre-post trial, with randomized and staggered implementation of the e-transfer tool in four hospitals in Calgary, Alberta. Hospitals (ie, clusters) were allocated randomly to cross over every 2 months from control (ie, dictation only) to intervention (ie, e-transfer tool). Implementation at each site was facilitated with user education, point-of-care support, and audit and feedback. We will compare transfer summaries randomly sampled over 6 months postimplementation to summaries randomly sampled over 6 months preimplementation. The primary outcome will be a binary composite measure of the timeliness and completeness of transfer summaries. Secondary measures will include overall completeness, timeliness, and provider ratings of transfer summaries; hospital and ICU lengths of stay; and post-ICU patient outcomes, including ICU readmission, adverse events, cardiac arrest, rapid response team activation, and mortality. We will use descriptive statistics (ie, medians and means) to describe demographic characteristics. The primary outcome will be compared within each hospital pre- and postimplementation using separate logistic regression models for each hospital, with adjustment for patient characteristics.

resultsParticipating hospitals were cluster randomized to the intervention between July 2018 and January 2019. Preliminary extraction of ICU patient admission lists was completed in September 2019. We anticipate that evaluation data collection will be completed by early 2021, with first results ready for publication in spring or summer 2021.

conclusionsThis study will report the impact of implementing an evidence-informed, computer-enabled, ICU-specific structured transfer tool on communication and preventable medical errors among patients transferred from the ICU to other hospital care units.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03590002; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03590002. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/18675.

Indexed as

clinical documentationcommunicationdischarge toolseffectiveelectronic chartingelectronic toolelectronic transfer summariesICUintensive care unitinterprovider communicationpatientpatient discharge summariespatient transfersprotocoltransfertransitiontransitions in care

Identifiers

PMID33416509
PMCPMC7822720

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.