'Handing over': transmission of information between nurses in an intensive therapy unit

Transferring end of shift information between nurses via both verbal and written routes in an intensive therapy unit (ITU) setting is complex and multifaceted. Some authors have taken ethnographic approaches and explored the verbal handover as an example of a nursing ritual. The written route involves various textual materials, which, in addition to conveying essential information about the patient's status, also represent other messages. This article considers two key areas of end of shift information transmission - verbal bedside handovers and written accounts - arguing that in addition to the manifest purposes of transferring essential information between nurses, both modes of reporting also have important latent functions. It will explore and interpret elements of ritual and symbolism inherent in both forms of handover. The article reports on particular findings from a larger ethnographic study of nursing culture, which was accomplished through participant observation over a 12-month period in ITU. Subsidiary components of the ethnography were the interviews with 15 nurses and the examination of documentary material. The findings suggest that both verbal and written reports, in addition to ensuring that nurses taking over the care of the patient receive the necessary information to enable them to safely provide continuity of care, also convey essential meanings and articulate group values. Both modes of handover reporting are also visual and/ or audible symbolic representations of nursing care in ITU and as such confirm and validate that care, expressing the value of nursing work in this unit.