NURSING HANDOVER FOR ADULT PATIENTS GUIDELINES
1. Overall objective
a) To ensure that patient care continues seamlessly and safely, providing the oncoming nurses with pertinent information to begin work immediately.
b) To maintain the ongoing confidentiality of patient records.
2. Definition
The nursing change of shift report or handover is a communication that occurs between two shifts of nurses whereby the specific purpose is to communicate information about patients under the care of nurses (Lamond, 2000).
3. Target users
All nursing and midwifery staff involved in the transfer of patient information from one member of staff to another.
4. The patients to whom the guidelines are meant to apply
All adult patients whose length of stay occurs between two shifts of nurses.
5. Local evaluation of practice
A study undertaken in 2002 within Conwy & Denbighshire NHS Trust by the Deputy Director of Nursing and Clinical Leader in Ophthalmology revealed that a variety of methods were used to undertake handover. It was suggested as a result of this study that there was a need for Trust wide guidelines and the use of pre printed computerised patient handover sheets, which are currently used in some areas within the Trust. The pre printed sheet allows nurses to concentrate upon the verbal handover being given and is shredded at the end of each shift. These findings support the literature in that handover style appears to very much depend upon local circumstances.
6. Evidence
The nursing handover process is considered to be a crucial part of providing quality care in a modern healthcare environment (Pothier et al. 2005) and the quality of a report given may delay an individual nurses ability to provide care for up to 1 to 2 hours (Hansten, 2003).