I-PASS Enhances Effectiveness and Accuracy of Hand-off for Pediatric General Surgery Patients.

Abstract Background : I-PASS is a validated and standardized hand-off protocol shown to reduce medical error and improve hand-off efficiency in the pediatric medical population. Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, accuracy and resident satisfaction of implementing I-PASS on a pediatric surgery service. Methods : A prospective intervention Quality Improvement (QI approved) study was utilized to evaluate resident written and verbal hand-offs before and after implementation of I-PASS on a pediatric surgery service at a tertiary center. Anonymous surveys were completed by residents following each observation. Results were analysed using T or Mann-Whitney U Tests and Chi Square. Results : A total of 49 written tools and 50 verbal hand-offs were compared pre-and post I-PASS implementation. With I-PASS, increased written accuracy was observed in the documentation of the patient summary (p Conclusion : Implementing I-PASS on a pediatric surgery service with modifications catered to surgical patients, improved the effectiveness and accuracy of written and verbal patient hand-offs and increased provider satisfaction and preparedness.