Improving Handover From Intensive Care Units to Surgical Wards Using a Standardized Patient Handover Process: A...

Poor handovers from ICU to general surgical wards cause communication and teamworking challenges, loss of information, readmission to the ICU within 48 h and increased hospital stay and may result in unexpected death.

The primary aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of implementing a standardized patient handover process, supported by a structured handover checklist, on postoperative handovers from the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) to surgical wards among nurses. The secondary aim was to evaluate nurses' perceptions of the acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness of the standardized handover process.

This study was conducted in the general surgery ICU (SICU) and the general surgical ward of a 900-bed public hospital in Türkiye. A total of 100 patient handovers from the SICU to the ward were observed (50 pre-implementation, 50 post-implementation). Following pre-implementation data collection, nurses received training on the standardized handover process. Nurses completed validated implementation outcome surveys at 1- and 10-month post-implementation to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness of the handover standardization; they also completed a satisfaction questionnaire administered 1-month post-implementation.

A total of 39 nurses participated in the study. Following implementation of the standardized handover, coverage of patient care elements increased, with the largest and statistically significant improvements with significant improvements in patient identification and drain/catheter information (p < 0.001). Handover duration increased, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.051). Interruptions were observed in 50% of handovers before implementation and in 48% of handovers after implementation. Nurses reported high satisfaction with the standardized handover process and perceived implementability-including acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness-was high at both 1- and 10-month post-implementation.

The implementation of a standardized patient handover process improved information transfer and was perceived as satisfactory, acceptable, feasible and appropriate by nurses.

This study is relevant to clinical practice as it presents a newly developed, effective and implementable SICU-to-ward handover strategy for nurses.