Multitasking during patient handover in the recovery room

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Information loss during patient handover frequently impacts continuity of care.
• Improving handovers is a critical patient safety goal.
• Postoperative transfer to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) involves equipment and patient information handover, with multitasking potentially increasing information loss risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent to which equipment and information transfer occur simultaneously or sequentially during operating room (OR) to PACU handovers.
• To assess healthcare practitioners' preferences and actual practices regarding simultaneous vs. sequential handover.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide survey of 494 healthcare practitioners involved in OR to PACU handovers.
• Videotaping of 101 OR to PACU handovers across academic, teaching, and community hospitals.
• Independent observer recording of simultaneous or sequential transfer of equipment and information.

Main Results:

• A minority (11%) preferred simultaneous handover, though 43% self-reported practicing it.
• Videotaped observations revealed simultaneous handover occurred in 65% of cases, more frequently in academic centers.
• Simultaneous handovers were not significantly faster than sequential handovers (P = 0.38).

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous transfer of equipment and information is prevalent during OR to PACU handovers.
• This multitasking during patient handover is common, often without healthcare providers' full awareness.
• Further research is needed to determine if this multitasking compromises patient information and safety.