Changing patterns of work in hospitals have created an even greater need for improved
handover of clinical responsibility and information. Changing work patterns arise
because:
• There is greater recognition of the effects of doctor fatigue and the risk that it poses
for patient safety leading to an increasing focus on doctors’ working hours and shift
patterns. The AMA Safe Hours Campaign has been instrumental in bringing this
issue to the fore in Australia
• Many doctors are now seeking a better balance between work and personal life
and are increasingly requiring access to flexibility in their work and training
• As the medical profession continues to age, older doctors will scale down their
work commitments
• The complexity of care has increased over recent decades. More technology, more
data, more professionals and more support services are involved in the care of any
one patient 2
Consequently, robust handover mechanisms are of the utmost importance in
ensuring patient safety 3 as:
• patient handover will happen more often, as different teams care for the same
group of patients over the course of any given day
• there will be greater cross-cover between some specialties and an increasing
multidisciplinary approach to care
• a doctor may have no regular daytime contact with the patients they are responsible
for when they are rostered on in the out-of-hours period