HealthcareBriefing & handover

I-PASS shift handover

5 minutes 5 blocks Free template

A verbal I-PASS handoff for one patient: illness severity, patient summary, action list, situation awareness, synthesis by receiver.

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By the end of this meetingThe receiving clinician can restate each patient's severity, plan, actions and contingencies.

5 min · 5 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly

Illness severity, 1 minutes
Patient summary: admission events, course, assessment and plan, 1 minutes
Action list: to-dos, timeline and owner, 1 minutes
Situation awareness and contingency plan, 1 minutes
Synthesis by receiver, 1 minutes

+0′Illness severity1 minInfo
+1′Patient summary: admission events, course, assessment and plan1 minInfo
+2′Action list: to-dos, timeline and owner1 minDecide
+3′Situation awareness and contingency plan1 minDiscuss
+4′Synthesis by receiverTip: The receiver summarizes, asks questions and restates the actions.1 minWrap-up

Why it works

Built so the i-pass shift handover ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short
2 minutes of updates with a visible clock. In a video call the speaker is spotlighted and the room is muted, so nobody talks over them.
It ends in a decision
Capture the decision and its owner with one click while it's said. It lands in the summary, word for word.
Discussion with a clock
1 minutes of open floor with a countdown everyone can see, and a talk-balance meter so the loudest voice doesn't take all of it.
Wraps up on time
Decisions and actions are read back, the summary is already written, and a finish on time earns the confetti.

How to run it

1Use the same five I-PASS steps, in the same order, for every patient at every shift change and cross-cover.
2Repeat the five blocks for each patient; set the time per patient to suit how sick they are.
3Hand off verbally; the AMA-reported study found fewer adverse events with verbal I-PASS than with unstructured written handoffs.
4Protect the handoff from interruptions and distractions, which lead to hurried handoffs.
5Do not move on until the receiver has synthesized the patient and restated the actions.

Questions about the i-pass shift handover

What does I-PASS stand for?: Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situation awareness and contingency planning, and Synthesis by receiver.
How long should an I-PASS handoff take?: The sources do not set a length. This template allows about one minute per step, five per patient, as a starting point to adjust.
Does structured handoff make a difference?: The I-PASS Institute reports up to 70% less patient harm, and a 2025 study reported by the AMA found fewer adverse events after a switch from unstructured written handoffs to I-PASS verbal handoffs.

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The structure, timings and tips on this page come from these sources.

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I-PASS shift handover

5 minutes 5 blocks Free template

A verbal I-PASS handoff for one patient: illness severity, patient summary, action list, situation awareness, synthesis by receiver.

Opens in the builder. No sign-up to try it; 14 days free to run it live.

By the end of this meetingThe receiving clinician can restate each patient's severity, plan, actions and contingencies.

Built so the i-pass shift handover ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short
2 minutes of updates with a visible clock. In a video call the speaker is spotlighted and the room is muted, so nobody talks over them.
It ends in a decision
Capture the decision and its owner with one click while it's said. It lands in the summary, word for word.
Discussion with a clock
1 minutes of open floor with a countdown everyone can see, and a talk-balance meter so the loudest voice doesn't take all of it.
Wraps up on time
Decisions and actions are read back, the summary is already written, and a finish on time earns the confetti.

How to run it

1Use the same five I-PASS steps, in the same order, for every patient at every shift change and cross-cover.

2Repeat the five blocks for each patient; set the time per patient to suit how sick they are.

3Hand off verbally; the AMA-reported study found fewer adverse events with verbal I-PASS than with unstructured written handoffs.

4Protect the handoff from interruptions and distractions, which lead to hurried handoffs.

5Do not move on until the receiver has synthesized the patient and restated the actions.

Questions about the i-pass shift handover

What does I-PASS stand for?

Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situation awareness and contingency planning, and Synthesis by receiver.

How long should an I-PASS handoff take?

The sources do not set a length. This template allows about one minute per step, five per patient, as a starting point to adjust.

Does structured handoff make a difference?

The I-PASS Institute reports up to 70% less patient harm, and a 2025 study reported by the AMA found fewer adverse events after a switch from unstructured written handoffs to I-PASS verbal handoffs.

I-PASS shift handover

Built so the i-pass shift handover ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short

It ends in a decision

Discussion with a clock

Wraps up on time

How to run it

Questions about the i-pass shift handover

Built from

Related templates

Run this agenda in a minute.

I-PASS shift handover

Built so the i-pass shift handover ends on time, with everyone in it.

Updates stay short

It ends in a decision

Discussion with a clock

Wraps up on time

How to run it

Questions about the i-pass shift handover

Built from

Related templates

Run this agenda in a minute.