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Abstract

Implementing a Multidisciplinary Communication Board to Enhance Overnight Handover and Continuity of Care in Internal Medicine: A Quality Improvement Initiative †

by
Brody Laberge
1 and
Florence Morriello
2,*
1
Internal Medicine Resident, Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Greater Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
2
Department of Medicine, Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Greater Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the Internal Medicine Scientific Meeting of Northern Constellations 2026, 30 April–2 May 2026, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Proceedings 2026, 143(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2026143009
Published: 2 June 2026
Versions Notes

Background: Effective patient handover is essential for maintaining continuity of care, promoting patient safety, and supporting timely clinical decision-making in internal medicine wards. Overnight transitions of care are particularly vulnerable to communication gaps between daytime and overnight teams, which may contribute to delayed interventions, missed tasks, medical errors, and reduced staff confidence. Standardized multidisciplinary communication tools have been proposed as a strategy to improve handover quality and interdisciplinary collaboration [1,2,3].
Purpose: This quality improvement initiative aims to implement and evaluate a multidisciplinary communication board designed to standardize overnight handover processes and improve continuity of care within an internal medicine unit.
Methods: This project will be conducted on a tertiary-care internal medicine unit over a 12-week implementation period. A visual multidisciplinary communication board will be developed for use by physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals to identify patient acuity, outstanding investigations, active clinical concerns, and anticipated overnight tasks. Pre- and post-implementation evaluations will include staff surveys assessing handover satisfaction, confidence, and perceived communication quality. Observational audits will assess handover completeness and consistency, while unit-level reviews of delayed interventions, overnight task completion, and reported patient safety incidents will be used to evaluate process outcomes. Quantitative findings will be supplemented by qualitative staff feedback regarding usability and barriers to implementation.
Anticipated Results: The communication board is anticipated to improve the structure, clarity, and consistency of overnight handovers. Expected outcomes include improved staff confidence, fewer missed or delayed clinical tasks, enhanced interdisciplinary communication, and improved continuity of care.
Conclusions and Significance: Implementing a multidisciplinary communication board may provide a practical, low-cost approach to strengthening overnight handover practices in internal medicine settings. This initiative has the potential to improve patient safety, workflow efficiency, and staff satisfaction, while serving as a scalable model for similar quality improvement interventions across hospital units.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, B.L. and F.M.; methodology, B.L. and F.M.; software, N/A; validation, B.L. and F.M.; formal analysis, F.M., B.L.; investigation, B.L. and F.M.; resources, F.M.; data curation, B.L. and F.M.; writing—original draft preparation, F.M.; writing—review and editing, B.L. and F.M.; visualization, F.M.; supervision, F.M.; project administration, F.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (NOSM University) and was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are not publicly available due to privacy and ethical restrictions involving patient confidentiality. Requests for access to the data may be directed to the corresponding author and are subject to approval by the Research Ethics Board.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

  1. Passalacqua, S.A.; Segrin, C. The effect of resident physician stress, burnout, and empathy on patient-centered communication during the long-call shift. Health Commun. 2012, 27, 449–456. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  2. Lapointe, R.; Bhesania, S.; Tanner, T.; Peruri, A.; Mehta, P. An innovative approach to improve communication and reduce physician stress and burnout in a university affiliated residency program. J. Med. Syst. 2018, 42, 117. [Google Scholar]
  3. Dyrbye, L.N.; Leep Hunderfund, A.N.; Winters, R.C.; Moeschler, S.M.; Vaa Stelling, B.E.; Dozois, E.J.; Satele, D.V.; West, C.P. The relationship between residents’ perceptions of residency program leadership team behaviors and resident burnout and satisfaction. Acad. Med. 2020, 95, 1428–1434. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
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Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Laberge, B.; Morriello, F. Implementing a Multidisciplinary Communication Board to Enhance Overnight Handover and Continuity of Care in Internal Medicine: A Quality Improvement Initiative. Proceedings 2026, 143, 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2026143009

AMA Style

Laberge B, Morriello F. Implementing a Multidisciplinary Communication Board to Enhance Overnight Handover and Continuity of Care in Internal Medicine: A Quality Improvement Initiative. Proceedings. 2026; 143(1):9. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2026143009

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laberge, Brody, and Florence Morriello. 2026. "Implementing a Multidisciplinary Communication Board to Enhance Overnight Handover and Continuity of Care in Internal Medicine: A Quality Improvement Initiative" Proceedings 143, no. 1: 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2026143009

APA Style

Laberge, B., & Morriello, F. (2026). Implementing a Multidisciplinary Communication Board to Enhance Overnight Handover and Continuity of Care in Internal Medicine: A Quality Improvement Initiative. Proceedings, 143(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2026143009

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