Talking Back: A Review of Handoffs in Pediatric Emergency Care

Incomplete communication is a critical source of medical error and subsequent patient harm within the health care system. Patient handoffs in health care require the coordinated transfer of information, responsibility, and authority between providers. In pediatric emergency medicine, there are specific cultural and structural factors that contribute to the need for evidenced-based and standardized handoff practices. This review presents an overview of the existing literature on handoffs to inform guidance for the development and implementation of high-efficacy handoff tools in pediatric emergency medicine.