EXAMPLE OF
Communication During Patient Hand-Overs
Policy
Provider
Hand-over
communication
Discharge
Hand-over
communication
Shift-to shift,
Unit-to-unit
Put in place a standardized approach to hand-over communication between staff change of
shift and between different patient care units in the course of a patient transfer.
Ensure that a responsible provider has updated information regarding the patient’s status,
medications, treatment plans, advance directives, and any significant status changes.
Engage patients and family members in decisions about their care at the level of
involvement they choose.
Provide patients with information about their medical condition and treatment care
plan in a way that is understandable to the patient.
►
►
Use a standardized approach to minimize confusion.
Allocate sufficient time for staff to ask and respond to questions.
Incorporate repeat-back and read-back steps as part of the hand-over process.
Limit the exchange to information that is necessary to providing safe care to the patient.
►
►
►
►
Provide the patient and the next provider of care with information on discharge diagnoses,
treatment plans, medications, and test results.
Patient