Index by author

These authors attempted to determine the time between identification of a critical finding and verbal communication with the primary caregiver. Ninety-one critical findings identified by trainees and attending physicians were analyzed. The mean time from study acquisition to critical finding discovery was 62 minutes and from then to a telephone call was 3.7 minutes (direct caregiver communication within 15 minutes for 94% of cases). During night or weekend shifts, mean notification times increased and sources of delay were inaccurate contact information, physician unavailability (shift change/office closed), patient transfer to a different service, or lack of responsiveness from caregivers.