Using Simulation to Hardwire Bedside Shift Report.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Previous bedside nursing handoff initiatives failed due to lack of standardization, coordination, and clear expectations.
• Patient- and family-centered care is crucial for enhancing patient experience scores.
• Addressing staff barriers is essential for successful adoption of new clinical practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a standardized methodology for bedside nursing handoff.
• To improve patient experience scores through enhanced nursing communication.
• To overcome previous barriers to bedside handoff adoption.

Main Methods:

• Developed a standardized staff training methodology incorporating didactic and simulation methods.
• Implemented a standardized process for introducing bedside handoff.
• Established a process to hardwire the new practice into daily operations.

Main Results:

• The standardized approach successfully addressed staff barriers to bedside handoff adoption.
• Implementation of the new process facilitated the integration of bedside handoff.
• The focus on patient- and family-centered care guided the development and rollout.

Conclusions:

• A standardized, coordinated approach with clear expectations and robust training is key to successful bedside nursing handoff implementation.
• This methodology can overcome organizational barriers and improve patient care delivery.
• The practice was successfully hardwired, indicating sustained adoption.