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Residency Training in Handoffs: a Survey of Program Directors in Psychiatry

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Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate how psychiatry programs are addressing the new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) training requirements regarding transitions in patient care effective July 1, 2011.

Methods

An anonymous online survey was distributed to program directors of general psychiatry residencies within the USA. Survey questions pertaining to the 2011 ACGME handoff requirements focused on training modalities, assessment of competence, and oversight of appropriate handoff procedures. In addition, program directors were asked to share specific challenges in implementing the new handoff regulations as well as their view on how the new regulations would impact patient care.

Results

Of the 177 recipients, 108 completed at least part of the survey (61 % response rate). Only 11.4 % of programs indicated that they did not need to make any changes to their program in order to meet the new guidelines. Approximately a third of survey respondents reported that they did not yet have a formal curriculum in handoffs (32.4 %) and/or did not specifically assess competence at handoffs (30.5 %). Program directors cited the challenge of working with a variety of clinical settings with unique cultures, infrastructure, and policies and procedures and suggested that implementation and ownership of handoff training and assessment should be at the level of the clinical services. Despite these challenges, most program directors agreed that the new ACGME requirements would improve patient care and safety.

Conclusions

The high frequency of programs without established handoff curricula or competence evaluations highlights the potential value of published resources and tools to provide standardized training and assessment in handoffs. The results also underscore the importance of developing training and assessment in close collaboration with the clinical services and recognizing the need to tailor handoff communications to address the types of transitions that occur within each clinical setting.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge and thank AADPRT in addition to the Duty Hours Task Force chaired by Drs. Deborah Cowley and William Greenberg and administratively supported by Lucille Meinsler.

Disclosures

The authors report no potential conflicts of interest with respect to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Melissa R. Arbuckle

  2. University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    Claudia L. Reardon

  3. Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks, NY, USA

    John Q. Young

Authors
  1. Melissa R. Arbuckle
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  2. Claudia L. Reardon
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  3. John Q. Young
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melissa R. Arbuckle.

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Arbuckle, M.R., Reardon, C.L. & Young, J.Q. Residency Training in Handoffs: a Survey of Program Directors in Psychiatry. Acad Psychiatry 39, 132–138 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0167-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0167-y

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