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Nursing Handover: A Content Analysis of Nurses' Handwritten Notes
Julianna Timmerman1, Verna Sitzer1, Rhea Eusebio1
1Sharp Healthcare, San Diego, CA, USA.
Western Journal of Nursing Research
|November 23, 2020
Summary
Nurses’ customized handwritten handover tools lack standardized content and rarely include safety information, hindering patient safety. Shift-to-shift handover content is inconsistent, compromising effective communication.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Patient Safety
- Healthcare Communication
Background:
- Standardized handover content is recommended to improve patient safety.
- Nurses currently utilize handwritten notes for patient information transfer.
- Existing handover tools lack uniformity and consistency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the characteristics and content of nurses' handover tools.
- To assess the congruence of handover tool content between nursing shifts.
- To identify the prevalence of safety/risk-related information in handover tools.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted.
- A convenience sample of 105 registered nurses participated.
- Paper handover tools were collected and analyzed using content analysis.
Main Results:
- Twenty-seven different types of customized handover tools were identified.
- Most tools included basic patient demographics and clinical information.
- Safety/risk-related information was infrequently documented, and content varied significantly shift-to-shift.
Conclusions:
- Current nurses' handover tools are highly individualized and context-specific.
- The lack of standardized content and inconsistency impacts patient safety.
- Further research is needed to develop and implement effective standardized handover processes.
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