Discharge huddle outfitted with mobile technology improves efficiency of transitioning stroke patients into follow-up care.

Disjointed patient care is a well-documented problem in health care systems, often stemming from poor communication between providers, services, and follow-up care resources. A multidisciplinary discharge huddle, augmented with cellular and tablet technology, was implemented on the Neurology Stroke Service to facilitate multidisciplinary communication, improve transition of patients, and increase referrals into affiliated follow-up care. After initiating the huddle, patient length of stay decreased by 1.4 days (25%), patient flow into continuum partners increased by 10%, and the number of patients going without services after their hospital stay decreased by more than 12%. Huddle members reported that the technology was helpful, heavily utilized, and made their work more efficient. This pilot suggests that utilizing modern mobile technologies can help improve efficiency and referrals within the health care system and reduce patient length of stay.