Patient perspectives on surgical handover quality: a mixed-methods survey.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare communication
• Patient safety
• Surgical care transitions

Background:

• In-hospital patient care handover is critical but high-risk.
• Patient transparency in doctor-to-doctor communication is often lacking.
• Patient and public involvement can enhance handover understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate surgical patients' perceptions of doctor-to-doctor handover communications.
• To incorporate patient and public perspectives to improve handover accessibility.
• To identify areas for enhancing patient understanding of care transitions.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey with patient and public involvement.
• Survey distributed to general surgery patients in two teaching hospitals.
• Quantitative analysis (McNemar's, Wilcoxon) and thematic analysis of free-text responses.

Main Results:

• 208 responses received; patients had more knowledge of nursing vs. doctor handovers.
• Overall positive patient perceptions of handover, but satisfaction decreased with weekend handovers.
• Key themes: impact of poor communication, teamwork importance, external factors, and patient engagement.

Conclusions:

• Surgical patients demonstrate limited awareness of doctor handovers and associated risks.
• Patient and public involvement improved topic accessibility and understanding.
• Challenges remain in providing adequate training for meaningful patient engagement in handovers.