Voice Recording Technology Improves Patient Handoff Process

Other similar programs that facilitate the patient handoff process include the PatientKeeper Sign-Out technology and Vocera's communication systems. Physicians use the PatientKeeper program as a continuity of care tool and enter patient care details that the next shift's physician will need. Vocera's wireless devices enable instant communication among staff members.

OptiVox is a computer-based voice platform technology that is built into the phone system, says Mikos. Nurses can dial into OptiVox and record their patient reports, or listen to the patient reports from any phone in the health system.

Nurses coming off a shift and needing to report on their patients dial in an individual access code, pull up each patient's medical record number, and begin recording a report on that patient.

In addition to using OptiVox to record their reports, the nurses are also encouraged to use the SBAR format. The SBAR technique helps guide communication between staff members on a patient's condition.

To identify each patient in the system, Ingalls uses the patient's medical record number to prevent confusion, says Mikos.

"You are always up against potential patient safety issues, and some patients may have the same name or date of birth, but medical record numbers are always going to be unique," says Mikos.

When nurses arrive to start their shifts, they can access the reports from the previous shift the same way nurses record them. Using any phone in the health system, the nurse dials in with an individual access code and using his or her patients' medical record number; the nurse can then listen to the reports.

"To receive reports on five or six patients should take about 15-20 minutes of shift report time," says Mikos.

Now, with extra time, the nurse can find the previous shift nurse, clear up any unanswered questions, and visit his or her patients for brief assessments and introductions.

"Here at Ingalls, we believe there is a need for face-to-face, or bedside rounding," says Mikos. "After the nurses [listen to the] handoff report, they should immediately go out to their patients, introduce themselves, and have a brief discussion on how the previous shift went."