Medical handoff techniques need improvement

As residents work shorter shift hours, medical handoffs--when a doctor goes off duty and transfers responsibility of a patient to another doctor--are becoming more frequent. However, the handoff process is usually disorganized and often results in redundant tests and prolonged hospitalizations or readmissions, which compromises the quality of care and boosts healthcare costs, reports the Los Angeles Times. As such, hospitals are overhauling the process to ensure continuity and consistency of communication and care after doctors' shifts change. Article