Compliance with a structured bedside handover protocol: An observational, multicentred study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Bedside handover, a nurse-to-nurse shift report at the patient's bedside, is increasingly adopted.
• Limited evidence exists on its implementation process and compliance rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess compliance with a structured bedside handover protocol based on ISBARR.
• To identify differences in compliance across various hospital wards.

Main Methods:

• A multicentered observational study involving 638 unannounced observations of bedside handovers.
• Data collected using a checklist one month post-implementation in 12 wards across seven hospitals.
• Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multilevel analysis.

Main Results:

• High average compliance (83.63%) with the structured bedside handover protocol was observed.
• Patient identification, nurse introduction, hand hygiene, and patient involvement were frequently omitted.
• Clinical information exchange items were omitted less frequently.

Conclusions:

• Executing structured bedside handovers is feasible for nurses, with high compliance when performed.
• Factors like length of stay, ward type, and care model had limited influence on compliance.
• Future efforts should emphasize standard procedures, patient involvement, and address barriers like patient absence and staffing.