Nursing Handoffs: Article Analysis

Standard 1.1 outlines that the registered nurse should access and analyse the best available evidence which includes research to ensure they provides safe and quality practice (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016). This was absent in scenario one as a result of a fast verbal medical handover Mary to Nicole. There was no guidance as to which patient was being discussed, and no time to write down all the important medical information required about her patients (Edith Cowan University, 2016). In scenario two Mary provides more guidance to Nicole about which patient she is talking about ensuring all the necessary information is received by Nicole (Edith Cowan University, 2016). Research has proven that handover is often difficult in the health care process, and often results in information being lost, distorted or misinterpreted. Verbal handover has also been described as an incomplete process when compared to information available in patient notes and records (Drach-Zahavy & Hadid, 2015). This is demonstrated in both scenarios with Nicole being given a fast handover with no guidance about where the information she is being given is relevant to. Whilst in scenario two Mary provides prompts and gives Nicole time to write down all the necessary information she requires (Edith Cowan University, 2016).

Communication in shift change plays a major role in the nursing practice and role. Appropriate and effective communication is a tool assisting nurses in providing safe, thorough and quality cares about their patients and ensuring there is continued service delivery. Realizing the critical role of their patients and patients’ families in promoting patient safety, nurses need to engage their patients and family members in the whole communication process of exchanging information and planning the care. Nurses need to give their patients chances to participate in the discussion their health conditions, upcoming procedures, medical information, or treatment options. Bedside reporting give nurses opportunities to visualize the physical and psychological needs of their patients. Change of shift reporting is also a situation where the nurses exchange their clinical knowledge, and patients’ condition changes and allow their patients to express their understandings, concerns, and questions. This paper seeks to analyze bedside report and explain its relevance to the nursing practice.

The author made a problem statement that bedside nursing report is not persistence in nursing care and there is limited research to investigate. The author’s questions are specifically related to the concern of bedside clinical handover that needs to be addressed in healthcare organization, investigate patients’ opinions to help nurses become aware of patients’ needs and increase their skill in clinical bedside handover practice. Using qualitative research methodology to interview, explore, and observe patients’ experience will help the researchers to answer the research questions. Obviously, exploring the patients’ opinion of bedside nursing handover is a key to recognize patients’ perspective to provide for their needs in order to continue patient safety care and

Change of shift in the nursing profession is unique (Caruso, 2007). Information is transferred between nurses verbally and through written communication. In many facilities shift report from one shift to another involved sitting down and getting all your orders from a caredex and then talking with the previous nurse face to face going over pertinent information regarding their patients. This type of report usually happens in a report room or sometimes in the hallways or other common

First, baseline data were collected on nurse perceptions about the shift report process and patient perceptions about nursing care were. The authors adopted the ‘Patient Views on Nursing Care’ patient survey tool (Larrabee et al. 1995) to perform the survey. Then same data were collected and analyzed three months and 13 months after the new approach was implemented. The data analysis approach included analysis of variance(ANOVA) to compare data collected during the baseline survey and data collected after the new approach was implemented.

It has been proven that bedside handover with ISBAR has provided a safety transition and met patient’s satisfaction that gives more opportunity to clarify information (ACSQHC 2012). Although, bedside handover with ISBAR is strictly implemented, there are difficulties in the application due to ‘changes in complex social practices’ of nurses that somehow limits its uptake (ACSQHC 2012, cited in Jeffcott, Evans & Cameron 2009). This literature review sought to study the rationale as to the effectiveness of bedside handover with ISBAR framework in clinical settings; and to identify the common barriers to effective communication in bedside handover.

An observational study published in January of 2015 found several barriers to effective communication in handoff reporting. Two prominent barriers were identified; disorganization and the inability to understand the information received. The study determined by incorporating a structured tool for communication, which included categories, aided in ensuring the information’s completeness, as well as improved the level of understanding of the report content (Foster-Hunt, Parush, Ellis, Thomas, & Rashotte, 2015). Halm (2013), identified three key elements incorporated into an effective handoff report. These components included face-to-face or 2-way communication, a structured template or form, and content which allowed the health care worker to hypothesize a diagnosis related to the patients’ clinical condition (Halm, 2013). The four most frequent elements discussed in a handoff report were history, events, patient status, and future care plan (McMullan, Parush, & Momtahan,

Communication breakdown is among the leading cause of medical errors such as gaps in health care, incomplete or missing information, and medication errors. Most importantly, communication supports the foundation of patient care. According to The Joint Commission (formerly Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO]) improved communication among nurses during shift changes reduces injuries due to medical errors by 30 percent. So, hand-off reporting during shift change is a critical process that is crucial in protecting a patient’s safety. Throughout the hand-off report, it is vital to provide accurate, up-to- date and pertinent information to the oncoming nurse. An estimate of 80 percent of the most serious medical

This systemic review was completed to evaluate articles that discussed nursing handoff. 95 articles met the inclusion criteria and 20 of those articles involved research on nursing handoffs. A Quality Scoring System went on to assess each article with scores ranging from 1 to 16. “Quality assessment scores for the 20 research studies ranged from 2 to 12” (Riesenberg et al, 2010, p. 28). This goes to show us that there is a lack of high-quality articles on the subject matter of nursing handoff. From this article the reader can also learn about barriers and strategies of effective handoff in more depth.

Written communication in healthcare system comprises of care plans, daily reports, handover sheets ,medication sheets in general ,(record keeping). These clinical records are essential skills of communication that a nurse should be able to write as well as extracting vital information from which to provide relevant and precise care. This makes continuity of necessary care possible and fulfils one of NMC’s (2008) core principles of the code of working with others to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of those in nurse’s care and obligation to ensure total and effective information is communicated to your colleagues concerning people in your care (NMC 2010). These records help to increase answerability to the part of the nurse if the nurse is aware of this will be more considerate knowing that any mistake will come around. In addition these records help as the basis for decision –making for nurses and multi-disciplinary team of which the nurse

The process of conveying information regarding a patient’s condition from one health care provider to another is referred to as a “handoff”. The primary objective of a handoff is to communicate accurate information about a patient’s health status. Currently, at the White City VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinic (SORCC), there is a lack of consistency in the documentation and verbal handoff reporting between the Registered Nurse and Provider during a patient triage visit. It is imperative to improve this process in order to have effective communication between the nurse and provider, as well as provide personalized and appropriate care for the Veterans we serve.

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the structures, processes, and perceptions of the outcomes of bedside handovers in nursing practice.

The key to ensuring nursing staff are able to take thirty minute uninterrupted meal breaks is communication. According to Leonard, Graham and Bonacum (2004), “communication failures are the leading cause of inadvertent patient harm.” Effective communication and teamwork can help ensure inadvertent patient harm does not occur. Hand-off communication is designed to pass information from one person to another in efforts to ensure safe patient care. (Scovell, 2010) Hand-off communication occurs at shift change when the responsibility of care is transferred from one nurse to another; the same should occur when responsibility is transferred from one nurse to another for the purpose of meal breaks. Hand-off communication is important to ensure

Change of shift report is the time when responsibility and accountability for the care of a patient is transferred from one nurse to another. This transfer involves handoff from one nurse who has cared for the patient to the next nurse who may not know the patient. Report is informational as patient’s condition, treatment, and care planning are shared. The communication during this process is intended to insure continuity of care giving and patient safety. First, report can have emotional meaning for the nurse. It is a time to connect with other staff and share the emotional distress and struggles endured over the course of shift. We nurses may take this time to complain about other staff, patients, their families, or update ourselves on

Effective communication at change of shift facilitates the continuity of care and ensures patient safety. A study by Malekzadeh, Mazluom, Etezadi, and Tasseri (2013) revealed an increase in patient outcome and safety after an intervention that ensured nurses communicated effectively during shift handovers.