The authors developed an intervention to improve the quality of the handoff of hospitalized patients; it was associated with reductions in medical errors and in preventable adverse events. Handoff duration, time with patients, and time spent on computers did not change. Preventable adverse events — injuries due to medical errors — are a major cause of death among Americans. Although some progress has been made in reducing certain types of adverse events, 1 – 3 overall rates of errors remain extremely high. 4 Failures of communication, including miscommunication during handoffs of patient care from one resident to another, are a leading cause of errors; such miscommunications contribute to two of every three “sentinel events,” the most serious events reported to the Joint Commission. 5 The omission of critical information and the transfer of erroneous information during handoffs are common. 6 As resident work hours have been . . .