Decreasing Interferences and Time Spent on Transferring Information on Changing Nursing Shifts

The exchange of clinical information on patients is a common component in nursing shift changes where professionals have limited time to transfer this information. There is no standardized or structured methodology for transferring information, which requires increased time to complete. Also, during the exchange, some interruptions can disrupt the communication among professionals, which can affect the patient's safety. A descriptive study was developed for five months, the information transfer arrangement among nurses was changed in order to determine which interruption increased the time spent on shift change and, therefore, decreased the safety of pediatric patients. The results obtained on the type of interruption caused us to rethink the organization that includes pediatric patient care.