Effectiveness of a training program to improve nurses' knowledge and performance regarding shift report handover

Abstract

Background: Handover is known to be a danger point in the patient care process for a long time. Ineffective communication during handover is one of the most common identified cause of catastrophic or sentinel events in hospitals.Aims: To assess the knowledge and performance of nurses' related to shift report handover then, developing and implementing in-service training program for improving knowledge and performance of nurses' related to shift report handover.Study design: A quasi- experimental design was used to carry out the study.Setting: This study was conducted in the Cardiac and Digestive System Center at Sohag City which affiliated to Ministry of Health.Subject: The study included (45) nurses'.Tools: Two tools of data collection were used namely; first tool a structured questionnaire consisted of two main parts: Part 1 included questions about personal characteristics of the nurses', Part 2 knowledge regarding shift report handover questionnaire; and second tool an observational checklist repeated 3 times pre, post and after three month follow up.Results: Majority of nurses had very poor total knowledge regarding shift report handover pre program phase reached 100% in post and follow up phase of program implementation and none of them have low performance in pre phase which increase to 100% in post and follow up phase of program implementation.Conclusion: Nurses have poor knowledge and low performance of shift report handover before implementation of the training program. Improving their knowledge and performance post program implementation. There were significant positive correlation between knowledge score and performance score in pretest training program.Recommendations: Hospital should using a Health information system to facilitate and help nurses' to document patients' data. Developing and implementing continues educational program for nurses' that will increase their professionalism in documentation. The applicability of shift report handover should be supported from the hospitals administration.