Report: Patient harm from problem ’handoffs’ is common

The process of transferring the care of a hospitalized patient from one resident to another tends to cause some amount of harm to the patient, a new study suggests. The study strengthens several previous studies that found "handoffs" can contribute to preventable injuries not resulting from a patient's underlying medical condition. Worries about the potential for handoff-related problems have grown since increased restrictions on the amount of time that residents can work result in even more frequent handoffs.