Do Bedside Handovers Reduce Handover Duration? An Observational Study With Implications for Evidence-Based Practice.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Bedside handover is increasingly adopted in nursing for its benefits to patient safety, participation, communication, and efficiency.
• However, its impact on handover duration remains unclear, with potential implications for nurse overtime and job satisfaction.
• Understanding these effects is crucial for successful implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of bedside handovers on handover duration.
• This was achieved by comparing handover times before and after the implementation of bedside handovers in nursing wards.

Main Methods:

• A multicentered longitudinal study involving 638 timed observations of bedside handovers.
• Data on pre-implementation handover duration were collected via 105 interviews, 40 unstructured observations, and 12 time schedule reviews.
• A descriptive, comparative research design was employed.

Main Results:

• Average bedside handover duration was 146 seconds per patient (range: 83–204 seconds).
• The introduction of bedside handover can result in time savings or increased duration.
• Outcomes depend on the prior handover model, patient allocation per nurse, and use of structured handover content.

Conclusions:

• The effect of bedside handover on time is contingent upon organizational factors, particularly decentralized models and structured content.
• Bedside handover does not invariably decrease time use but enhances direct patient contact, patient participation, and patient safety.
• A matrix is provided to estimate the time impact of bedside handover implementation.