Handover checklist: testing a standardization process in an Italian hospital

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient safety protocols
• Clinical communication strategies

Background:

• Effective patient handover is crucial for safe and continuous healthcare delivery.
• Current handover practices can be prone to errors due to insufficient communication.
• Standardization of handover processes is needed to mitigate these risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a standardized handover checklist.
• To rationalize and improve the daily handover process in healthcare settings.
• To reduce medical errors stemming from inadequate communication during patient handovers.

Main Methods:

• Direct observation and development of a handover checklist model.
• A one-month trial period involving daily completion of the checklist by participating doctors.
• Assessment of the checklist's effectiveness through three distributed questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Doctors widely recognize handover as an essential component of daily healthcare work.
• The handover checklist significantly enhanced security, completeness, care continuity, and clarity compared to traditional methods.
• The majority of participating doctors approved the checklist and supported its permanent implementation.

Conclusions:

• The handover checklist is a consistent and effective tool for improving patient handover.
• Implementation of the checklist indirectly leads to an overall enhancement in the quality of patient care.