Clinical handover of patients arriving by
ambulance to a hospital emergency department:
A qualitative study
Abstract
Aim: The aims of this study were to
(1) explore the clinical handover processes between ambulance
and ED personnel of patients arriving by ambulance at one hospital and
(2) identify factors
that impact on the information transfer to ascertain strategies for improvement.
Methods: A focused ethnographic approach was used that included participant observation,
conversational interviews and examination of handover tools. Participants included ambulance
paramedics, nurses and medical practitioners from an ambulance service and regional hospital
located in South East Queensland, Australia. Grounded theory methods of constant comparative
data analyses were used to generate categories of findings.
Findings: Two types of clinical handover were identified: (1) for non-critical patients and (2)
for critical patients. Quality of handover appears to be dependent on the personnel’s expectations,
prior experience, workload and working relationships. Lack of active listening and access
to written information were identified issues.