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Lost in translation: maximizing handover effectiveness between paramedics and receiving staff in the emergency
Christine Owen1, Lynn Hemmings, Terry Brown
1Faculty of Education, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia. christine.owen@utas.edu.au
Objective:
The purpose of the present study is to investigate perceptions by paramedics and hospital receiving staff about what enables and constrains handover in the ED.
Methods:
This is a qualitative study of interviews with 19 paramedics, 15 nurses and 16 doctors (n = 50) from ambulance services and ED in two states of Australia.
Results:
Three main themes emerged that were evident at both sites and in the three professional groups. These were: difficulties in creating a shared cognitive picture, tensions between 'doing' and 'listening' and fragmenting communication.
Conclusion:
Recommendations arising from the present study as to how handover could be improved are the need for a common language between paramedics and staff in the ED, for shared experiences and understanding between the members of the team and for the development of a standardized approach to handover from paramedics to ED receiving staff.
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