A study of the use of tape-recorded handovers

The handover of information between shifts is often a time-consuming activity. It can involve all available staff from both shifts being absent from the ward for a substantial period of time. At a time when cost-effectiveness is an issue, many managers are looking at the value for money that the handover period provides. This paper describes an attempt by Trinity Hospic in Clapham actively to examine the cost in time and money that handover incurred, together with an examination of the quality of staff-to-staff reporting using tape-recorded handovers.