Clinical implications
• The postoperative handovers should be conducted in a predictable structure that is known to the sender and receiver of information.
• The information reported during postoperative handover should be limited to the essential information, e.g. events that deviate from the normal. Furthermore, different professionals involved in the postoperative handover need to reach consensus about what content is judged as essential to securing the patients continued care.
• The receiver of information should have the opportunity to ask question during handover as well as confirm the information in a structured manner and through two-way communication
• In the OT, the “sign out” should always be conducted by the main surgeon so that the sender of information during postoperative handover has all the information needed. If applicable, the theatre nurse and/or the surgeon should participate during the handover, to secure the patient’s continued care.