Nursing clinical handover in neonatal care

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Neonatal Care
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Clinical handover is crucial for continuity of care.
• It facilitates the transfer of patient responsibility and accountability between nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine afternoon nursing clinical handover in a private neonatal unit.
• To explore nurses' perspectives on information quality, interactions, support, efficiency, and parental involvement.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory, descriptive, prospective quantitative survey with qualitative elements.
• Utilized The Handover Evaluation Scale.
• Included 16 nurses from a neonatal unit.

Main Results:

• Information quality during handover can be maintained despite limitations.
• High levels of support and interaction among nursing staff were observed.
• The practice environment is stressful.

Conclusions:

• Accurate and efficient information transfer is vital for vulnerable neonates.
• Minimizing distractions during handover is important.
• Parental involvement in handover should be encouraged.