Improved Patient Communication with Systematic Whiteboard Use

A patient and staff needs assessment at Rush University Medical Center found that over 80% of both groups found the whiteboards useful, but the layout of the whiteboards made their use challenging. Additionally, we found a lack of consistency in monitoring and updating the whiteboard on a daily basis. As a result, we undertook an initiative to redesign our board, train staff in the utility of a whiteboard, its usefulness to staff, patients and family, and began a routinized audit of its use for timeliness and accuracy.