Can Technology Improve Intershift Report? What the Research Reveals

Abstract

Shift report is a multifaceted process that serves to provide nurses with vital patient information to facilitate clinical decisions and patient care planning. A shift report also provides nurses with a forum for functions, such as patient problem solving and collaboration. The authors conducted a literature review, which indicates that current methodologies used to collect and convey patient information are ineffective and may contribute to negative patient outcomes. Data incongruence, legal implications, time constraints augmented by the nursing shortage, and the financial impact of shift report are also addressed. The literature reveals significant rationale for pioneering new and innovative methods of shift-to-shift communication. In the report To Err is Human: Building a Safe Health System, the Institute of Medicine attributes the deaths of up to 98,000 hospitalized Americans to medical errors, including communication failures [Institute of Medicine. (1999). To err is human: Building a safe health system. Report by the Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. Washington, DC: National Academy Press]. As a result, government policy makers and health care agencies have focused their attention on determining the root cause of errors to identify preventative measures, including the use of information technology [Institute of Medicine. (2004). Keeping patients safe: Transforming the work environment of nurses. Report by the Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. Washington, DC: National Academy Press]. Under these premises, the authors examined the process of nursing shift report and how it impacts patient outcomes. The use of computer technology and wireless modes of communication is explored as a means of improving the shift report process and, subsequently, health care outcomes and patient safety.