Using a simulation-based approach to promote structured and interactive nursing clinical handover: a pre- and...

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Communication
• Medical Simulation

Background:

• Effective clinical nursing handover is crucial for patient safety and care continuity.
• Bilingual nurses, particularly in Hong Kong (English-trained, Cantonese-speaking), face challenges in delivering safe handovers.
• Existing handover protocols may require adaptation for bilingual healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a simulation-based approach to enhance nursing handover in a bilingual context.
• To improve the structure, interactivity, and safety of clinical nursing handovers.
• To assess the impact of training on nurses' confidence and understanding of handover protocols.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study with a pre- and post-evaluation design.
• Involved a 4-hour simulation-based workshop for 14 bilingual nurses in Hong Kong.
• Utilized structured handover protocols: ISBAR (introduction, situation, background, assessment, recommendation, readback) and CARE-team (connect, ask, respond, empathise).
• Data collected via questionnaire surveys before and after the training.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported increased self-confidence in their handover experiences post-training.
• Participants demonstrated a deeper understanding of the ISBAR and CARE-team protocols.
• Simulation-based training led to more structured and interactive clinical handovers.
• Overall perceived improvement in handover communication among nursing staff.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based training is an effective method for enhancing nursing handover in bilingual settings.
• Structured protocols like ISBAR and CARE-team, when taught via simulation, improve handover quality and nurse confidence.
• This approach can address communication challenges in diverse healthcare environments, ultimately benefiting patient care.