Safe Handover : Safe Patients - The Electronic Handover System

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Improvement
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Communication

Background:

• Poor communication during patient handover is a major cause of preventable patient harm.
• Existing handover processes compromised patient care and increased staff workload.
• Only half of handovers were understood, and over half of staff perceived a patient safety risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To promote accurate recording of high-quality clinical information.
• To improve effective patient care and safety through an Electronic Handover System (EHS).
• To address human factors and miscommunication in clinical handovers.

Main Methods:

• Development of a standardized handover proforma with specific sub-headings.
• Re-classification of patient risk assessments and prompts for verbal handover.
• Implementation of an Electronic Handover System (EHS) to remove miscommunication sources and re-organize tasks.

Main Results:

• Achieved at least 80% compliance for each sub-heading, improving overall handover quality by approximately 40%.
• 91% of handovers were subjectively clear to junior doctors.
• 87% of staff felt patient safety risks were reduced, and 80% noted increased continuity of care.

Conclusions:

• Doctors often omit key information without guidance, highlighting the need for structured systems.
• Electronic Handover Systems (EHS) offer a viable, sustainable, and safe solution for patient care handover.
• Implementing EHS prioritizes patient safety within healthcare organizations.