BCEHS - ATMIST AMBO Clinical Handover - Health Authority Emergency Departments

The use of ATMIST/AMBO as standardized handover tool and protocol has shown be an effective framework for transfer of patient information between paramedics and ED care providers in other EMS jurisdictions.

The ATMIST/AMBO tool will be consistently integrated as a framework for clinical handover of care for critical patients in all Emergency Department in British Columbia by December 2022.

A phased health authority and region approach will be used to implement and evaluate the use of the tool as a standardized handover protocol followed by a post-implementation analysis to ensure changes in practices are sustained and inform spread across all other ED sites in the province. Each phase will include introduction of a new health authority and 2 pilot sites. Phase one will begin with Northern Health Authority at the University of Northern British Columbia hospital in Prince George, followed by Mills Memorial hospital in Terrace.

The defined handover tool and process will:
• Improve communication between providers
• Improve patient safety during clinical handover
• Enhance staff knowledge and understanding of best practices
• Promote utilization of a standardized protocol
• Improve patient and provider experiences
• Inform sustainability and spread of evidence best practices to other sites across province