Handoffs and Information Exchange

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Hospital Care
Country
United States of America
Publishing Organisation
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Effectiveness
Setting-Specific Domain
Care Transitions

Defining Attributes

Definition

This is a composite measure about the extent to which important patient care information is transferred across hospital units and during shift changes. Participants are asked to respond to three statements: F4: When transferring patients from one unit to another, important information is often left out; F5: During shift changes, important patient care information is often left out.; F6: During shift changes, there is adequate time to exchange all key patient care information.

Numerator

The number of "strongly agree" or "agree" responses to Item F6, and the number of "strongly disagree" or "disagree" responses to Items F4 and F5.

Denominator

The total number of responses to each item. The item-level percent positive scores are divided by 3 to produce the composite measure score.

Exclusions

Response option "Does not apply or don't know' and missing responses are excluded from calculations.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

By survey item and percentile (10th, 25th, median, 75th, 90th).

Collection and Reporting Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Surveys
Data Collection Methods

Survey on Patient Safety Culture (SOPS) Hospital Survey 2.0

Frequency of Data Collection
Annually
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
365
Reporting Methods

Yearly Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Reporting (AHRQ) report and executive summary

Reporting Frequency
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Link to Measurement Tools
Domain
Comprehensive Care
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
No
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Can the Quality Indicator be Readily Implemented at a Population Level in Australia Given its Current Data Landscape?
Implementation of this quality indicator was not assessed.
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
23 July 2025