Nursing staff's instrument for change-of-shift reporting - SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation):...

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Communication
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Effective change-of-shift handover is crucial for patient safety and continuity of care.
• Current handover practices may be suboptimal, leading to information gaps.
• Standardized tools can enhance the efficiency and accuracy of shift reports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate and apply a novel change-of-shift instrument based on the Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) framework.
• To assess the perceived necessity and feasibility of the SBAR-based instrument in a clinical nursing setting.

Main Methods:

• Methodological study involving expert validation by ten nursing judges.
• Instrument application in a surgical gastroenterology ward with 11 nursing technicians.
• Descriptive statistical analyses to evaluate content validity and user feedback.

Main Results:

• The instrument achieved a high content validity index of 91.7% after expert review and revisions.
• Nurses predominantly use oral, in-person shift handovers in the nursing station, lasting 6-10 minutes.
• Participants found the instrument provided necessary information, was viable, and highlighted that delays and early departures negatively impact handover.

Conclusions:

• The developed SBAR-based instrument was successfully validated.
• The instrument's application demonstrated its relevance, necessity, and feasibility in clinical practice.
• The study supports the use of standardized tools to improve nursing shift handovers.