Living for the weekend: electronic documentation improves patient handover.

Area of Science:

• Medical education and patient safety
• Healthcare informatics and clinical communication

Background:

• Growing recognition of effective handover importance due to increased shift work.
• Existing guidelines for written handover documentation show poor compliance, especially for medical inpatients transitioning between week and weekend teams.
• Full guideline implementation can be resource-intensive (time and financial costs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a simple, low-cost electronic handover list on improving written handover documentation for medical inpatients.
• To evaluate both quantitative and qualitative aspects of handover improvement.
• To identify and address logistical challenges associated with electronic handover systems.

Main Methods:

• An audit cycle was employed to identify areas of poor compliance in handover documentation.
• A simple, minimal cost, electronic-based list was implemented as an intervention.
• Quantitative measures (e.g., patient location, resuscitation status, investigations) and qualitative data were collected to assess effectiveness and challenges.

Main Results:

• The electronic list significantly improved quantitative measures of written handover, particularly for patient location, resuscitation status, and investigations.
• Qualitative data indicated multiple benefits of the electronic system.
• Logistical issues related to computer terminals, networks, and access were identified as challenges.

Conclusions:

• A simple, minimal cost electronic handover list can effectively enhance the quality of written handover documentation for medical inpatients.
• Addressing logistical challenges is crucial for successful implementation and sustained use of electronic handover systems.
• Carefully planned and implemented long-term changes are essential for optimizing handover processes and patient safety.