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Challenging the handover ritual. Recommendations for research and practice
1School of Nursing, Deakin University. bevoconn@deakin.edu.au
Collegian (Royal College of Nursing, Australia)
|October 16, 2004
Summary
Effective nursing handover is crucial for patient safety but challenging. This study found no single handover method superior, highlighting the need for creative approaches to optimize this vital communication process.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Healthcare Communication
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Effective communication during nursing handover is essential for high-quality patient care.
- Challenges include high patient turnover, limited shift overlap, and time constraints.
- Handover is a critical communication medium requiring evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the use and effectiveness of different nursing handover techniques.
- To identify the strengths and weaknesses of verbal, tape-recorded, and bedside handovers.
- To understand the multifaceted role of handover in nursing practice.
Main Methods:
- Grounded theory approach used in five acute care settings.
- Data collected through semistructured interviews with nurses and participant observation.
- Textual data analyzed using NUD*IST software.
Main Results:
- Handover serves multiple purposes beyond patient care communication, including debriefing, information clarification, and knowledge updates.
- Each handover type (verbal, tape-recorded, bedside) demonstrated unique strengths and limitations.
- No single handover method was found to be universally more effective than others.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing nursing handover requires addressing its diverse goals and limitations.
- Current handover practices may be viewed as routine rather than a critical communication tool.
- Further research into innovative handover strategies is necessary to enhance patient care communication.