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What Are Your 3 Essential Questions for Patient Handoff?

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A registered nurse recently posed this question to her Twitter followers: If you’re an ICU doctor and you get to ask your patient’s nurse three questions, and only three questions, what do you ask to get the information you need?

The question may have been directed specifically to ICU docs, but the answers are broadly applicable. Patient handoffs are a necessary part of comprehensive care. Communication is key, and time is short. What’s the best way to get the most information in the shortest amount of time? Healthcare professionals from all specialities and credentials chimed in to share their approach to successful communication during handoffs.

So now it’s your turn — what are your three essential handoff questions?

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