Bedside handover training and its effects on nurses' knowledge and compliance

BACKGROUND: Effective communication during nursing handover is vital to ensure patient safety and continuity of care. Bedside handover, where patient information is communicated in the presence of the patient at the bedside, has gained significant attention in contemporary nursing practice. AIM: To evaluate the effect of bedside handover training on nurses’ related knowledge and compliance. METHODS: A quasiexperimental, one-group pre-postfollow-up design was implemented in six intensive care units (ICUs) at General Mahalla Hospital. The study sample included 18 head nurses and a stratified random sample of 162 staff nurses affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Health. Data collection tools included a Nurses’ Knowledge Questionnaire, an observation checklist for bedside handover practice, and an audit sheet for handover reports. Data were collected at three time points: before training, immediately after, and at a 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: “Significant improvements were observed across all measured outcomes for both head and staff nurses following the intervention (p < 0.001). Head nurses’ knowledge scores increased from 12.4 ± 3.7 to 89.5 ± 4.4 posttraining and 90.6 ± 3.2 at follow-up. Staff nurses similarly improved from 10.6 ± 4.2 to 89.6 ± 5.7 and 85.5 ± 6.4. ISBAR scores rose markedly in both groups (head: 25.7 ± 6.5 to 77.8 ± 5.8; staff: 21.1 ± 7.0 to 82.6 ± 6.6), with sustained although slightly reduced performance at follow-up. Audit compliance scores also improved significantly, with all gains statistically sustained at follow-up (p < 0.001). Strong positive correlations were found between knowledge, ISBAR practice, and audit scores, and regression analysis confirmed the intervention as the strongest predictor of compliance. CONCLUSION: Structured bedside handover training effectively enhances nurses’ communication skills and compliance with standardized handover practices, contributing to improved patient safety. Healthcare institutions should adopt structured training, reinforce ISBAR utilization, and conduct regular audits to sustain quality improvements in handover practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not applicable. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.