679 Trainee Perceptions of Safety in General Surgery Handover – a Quality Improvement Project

Abstract

Abstract Aim Effective patient handover is an important cornerstone of clinical care and patient safety. The aim of this study was to measure trainee perceptions of handover safety, and to improve the safety of handover. Method An anonymous questionnaire was sent to all junior doctors in a general surgery department with a two-stage evening handover, as registrars change over at 17.00 and senior house officers at 20.00. The intervention involved introduction of a new standard of handover, including a set location and printed patient lists. Following one month of intervention, a second questionnaire was distributed to assess its impact. Results There were 15 respondents to the pre-intervention questionnaire and 16 respondents to the post-intervention questionnaire. Perception of safety at the 17.00 handover increased from 27% to 56% following the intervention, and at 20.00 this increased from 60% to 88%. The proportion of respondents who felt that new admissions were handed over well at 17.00 increased from 27% to 38%, with an increase from 67% to 81% for the 20.00 handover. The proportion of respondents who felt that the ward patients were handed over well at 20.00 increased from 40% to 81%. The generation of a patient handover list at 20.00 increased from 7% to 25%. Conclusions Simple interventions appear to be effective at improving trainee perceptions of safety in patient handover in general surgery. Ensuring the quality of patient handover must be a priority for all clinicians; however, approaches may need to be tailored to the working shift patterns within a department.