UW Safely Reduces Resident Hours with Computerized Rounding and Sign-Out

The University of Washington has developed a computer system for the handover of patient responsibilities that promises to reduce the amount of time that residents spend signing out and recopying data prerounds.

The system, called "UW Cores", was evaluated in a 14-week, randomized crossover study involving 14 inpatient resident teams (6 general surgery, 8 internal medicine) at two hospitals. The study suggests that resident time can be reduced while simultaneously improving continuity and enhanced resident efficiency without weakening systemic defenses against error or jeopardizing patient safety.

The study, by Erik Van Eaton, MD, Karen McDonough, MD, William Lober, MD, Eric Johnson, MS, Carlos Pellegrini, MD, and Karen Horvath, MD, is available at the Academic Medicine website. Subscription is required to access the full text.