Patient Handover From the Cardiac Surgery Operating Room to the Critical Care Unit: A Prospective Observational Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Critical Care Medicine
• Healthcare Communication

Background:

• Ineffective patient handover poses significant risks, including compromised postoperative care and potential complications.
• Standardized and accurate information transfer is essential for patient safety during transitions of care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the patient handover process from cardiac surgery operating rooms to critical care units.
• To examine information types, healthcare worker roles, handover duration, and interruption frequency.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study conducted at a university hospital in Izmir, Turkey.
• Analysis of the handover process for 85 cardiac surgery patients between January and June 2023.

Main Results:

• Cardiac surgery teams prioritized information on blood pressure goals, cross-clamp time, and surgical procedures.
• Anesthesia teams focused on arterial blood gas results and recent antibiotic administration.
• Surgical residents performed all cardiac surgery handovers, while critical care physicians received most patients; nurse involvement was notably low.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in information provided by surgical and anesthesia teams during patient handover.
• Low nurse participation in patient handovers is a critical finding, necessitating targeted interventions.
• Developing protocols to enhance nurse involvement and interdisciplinary collaboration is recommended to improve handover effectiveness.