Dissertation
Standardized handover communication from the medical intensive care unit: a quality improvement project
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Drexel University
16 Mar 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011362
Abstract
The clinical handover process involves interprofessional communication about the care patients have received to promote smooth transfer and continuity of care. A quality improvement (QI) project was proposed to develop and implement a standardized documentation tool to improve the current handover of information when a patient is downgraded from the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) to a lower acuity of care and a new team of providers. Pre-implementation documentation and provider satisfaction with baseline process were assessed, and based on this information, a tool was developed and subsequently implemented to capture the care a patient has received while in the MICU. Throughout the implementation period, plan-do-study-act cycles were conducted at regular intervals to optimize the documentation tool and its integration into daily practice. There were two distinct groups of MICU providers over the eight-week implementation period. Outcomes were measured and analyzed at project end and included MICU providers' appropriate and consistent completion of tools. There was a similar rate of tool completion between groups over baseline (88% and 87%, respectively, compared with 85% at baseline), but accuracy improved from 10% to 68% and 65%, respectively. The use of a standardized clinical handover tool/process was effective in ensuring consistent communication between MICU and Internal Medicine (IM) providers during transfer of care.
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Details
- Title
- Standardized handover communication from the medical intensive care unit
- Creators
- Jacqueline Thoryk - Drexel University, Doctoral Nursing
- Contributors
- Barbara Ruth Osborne (DNP Chair) - Drexel University, Nurse Practitioner Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- 42 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Doctoral Nursing; Nursing (Graduate); College of Nursing and Health Professions; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022182176204721