The Non- Universal Understanding of the New Jersey Universal Transfer Form: Evaluating Resident Physicians’ Knowledge Gaps

Abstract

Miscommunications and handoff errors are 2 leading causes of preventable medical errors in the US. In an effort to decrease these types of errors when transferring patients from one facility to another, the New Jersey (NJ) Universal Transfer Form (UTF) was jointly developed by providers, hospital administrators, and the New Jersey Department of Health in 2011 to standardize the communication of pertinent clinical information during care transitions. The UTF serves as an important tool for relaying information especially in the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) Arena when PALTC residents are transitioned to and from hospitals.