What is the best nursing handover style to ensure continuity of information for hospital patients?

Abstract

The systematic review informing this Cochrane Nursing e Corner investigated nursing handover for evidence ted to safety, quality and measures of satisfaction eulers et al., 2014). The Institute of Medicine (United tes) released a seminal report in 2001 that included criptions of clinical handover (Committee on Quality of lth Care in America, 2001). Clinical handover incorpos the communication between nursing staff during a ft change about patients and their continuing care. The titute of Medicine described handover as time where in absence of good practice, the risk of miscommunicais high, and that risks to patient safety as well as erse events can be directly attributed to ineffective munication during clinical handover (Committee on lity of Health Care in America, 2001). The Institute of dicine report details that information communicated ut patients and their care should have two features, being both accurate and timely (Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, 2001). Potential adverse events associated with inaccurate or untimely clinical handover have been established. As the authors of this systematic review identify, handover that is erroneous may include increased risk of delays in diagnosis or treatment, inappropriate treatment or omission of care (Smeulers et al., 2014). Further more, handover that is not timely may increase the risk of duplication, redundant communication, lower satisfaction ratings for staff and patients, and at the organisational level may also lead to prolonged hospitalisation, with associated increases in costs. These findings (from individual studies) indicate how significant a process clinical handover is, not only for patient care, but also for organisational outcomes. While the literature indicates handover is a critical aspect of patient care and quality, studies also indicate that handover is often characterised by a lack of consistency in method, are time consuming and variable in terms of what is communicated. Handover while a critical aspect of continuity of patient care is characterised by a general lack of formalised training, therefore nurses learn and adapt according to current practices and cultural expectations, rather than develop evidence-based skills and knowledge. This systematic review was conducted to address the knowledge gap on effective strategies for clinical handover to reduce risks and improve the effectiveness and quality of communication.