Dr. Sean Gaffney wins the department of medicine’s first “discharge competition.”
“Sean scored the highest on objective criteria we are using to encourage efficient and translatable communication between inpatient and outpatient providers,” said Resident Chief Tony Mazella, MD.
“This is a self-nominated competition and submissions are scored according to a rubric that articulates the expectations of a discharge summary.”
Dr. Gaffney and his team enjoyed a special breakfast provided by the department medicine. He also got to wear the first official “discharge champion” belt, and he wore it with pride.
A monthly discharge summary competition keeps residents tuned to one of the most critical documents in the medical care setting, communicating diagnostics data, clinical observations and next steps that can ensure continuity of patient care at discharge.
The discharge summary recounts all that has happened over the course of a patient’s stay. Handoffs and care transitions are also a major focus for hospital quality improvement efforts nationally.