The nursing shift-change handover: can it be improved?

Venables, Louise 2012. The nursing shift-change handover: can it be improved? [Taught Course Thesis]. Bachelor, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Nursing shift-change handover is a key moment of nurse-to-nurse communication, facilitating exchange of patient information and transfer of professional responsibility. Errors or omissions in information exchange at handover can have consequences for patient care continuity and safety, and studies have identified that current handover practice is failing to facilitate succinct and comprehensive information exchange. Many patients now have a wide range of health-related issues that need to be considered when undertaking nursing care and the traditional method of handover practice has proven to be an unsuitable vehicle for accurate delivery of large volumes of complex patient data, with data loss and the inclusion of subjective or irrelevant information being a common occurrence at handover. This study investigates the phenomenon of current handover practice and attempts to identify changes that could make handover more effective. The study reveals that providing a structure to the content and delivery of handover may ensure that information exchange is more relevant and succinct. The findings also suggest that taking handover to the bedside and utilising existing patient documentation to guide handover discussion improves transparency of nursing care, allows checking of both patient and documentation, and has the added benefit of improving patient satisfaction by making handover a patient-centred activity. The study identifies the importance of involving staff in improvement strategies such as changing handover format; educating staff about the critical importance of handover communication and involving them in system redesigns has proved to increase staff acceptance of and compliance with new handover processes.

Item Type:	Taught Course Thesis
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Subjects:	R Medicine > RT Nursing
Additional Information:	This dissertation is only available to Cardiff University staff and students.
Last Modified:	19 Mar 2016 23:17
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/45873

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