Time Period Ending:  12/31/2012

What We Are Doing:
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, New Horizon's Transitional Care Center, and our Home Health Care Department uses the SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) method to assure safe patient handoffs.  Patient handoffs, for example, can occur in transfer from the nursing unit to another department, from one physician to another, in transfer from one unit to another, at shift change between nurses, or in a myriad of other ways during the course of patient care.  Patient handoffs that utilize effective communication result in better and safer care.  Questions may be routed to:  Barbara Bigelow, VP Quality at 907-821-1990.