Deliberate practice of nurse handoff using simulation: A multi-site study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Communication

Background:

• Ineffective patient handoffs are a major cause of medical errors, leading to delayed treatment and increased healthcare costs.
• Deliberate practice is a recognized skill development strategy, but its impact on nursing handoff communication is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of deliberate practice in enhancing the accuracy of handoff communication among prelicensure nursing students.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design with repeated measures was employed.
• Prelicensure nursing students (n=51) from four US schools participated in three simulation-based study visits.
• Handoff accuracy was assessed using the I-SBAR tool, with deliberate practice integrated into each visit.

Main Results:

• Mean handoff scores demonstrated a statistically significant improvement from baseline to the final assessment (p < 0.001).
• Scores increased from 6.24 at baseline to 7.82 at the final assessment, despite a mid-study decline.

Conclusions:

• Deliberate practice is an effective strategy for improving nursing students' handoff communication accuracy.
• Further research is recommended to explore skill decay and the necessity of ongoing deliberate practice for sustained proficiency.