Background: Most sentinel events reported to the Joint Commission are directly linked to miscommunication between healthcare workers, and hand-offs present an opportunity for errors. This paper aims to describe recommendations regarding safe patient hand-offs in labor and delivery and postpartum units.Methods: Literature search performed using CINAHL and PubMed. Three articles were selected from over 500 peerreviewed articles and academic journals published between 2011-2017 that focused on patient hand-offs, nursing, labor and delivery and postpartum care. Results:All three studies identified clear, well-directed communication as crucial for preventing sentinel events. Bedside hand-offs were preferred related to the opportunity for patient involvement in healthcare decisions. Unit-specific hand-offs were recommended as a major pathway for standardization of the hand-off process. Conclusion:Effective communication within the healthcare team is vital to providing high-quality patient care. More education and standardization of hand-off should be encouraged. Adequate documentation and situational awareness are non-negotiable for patient safety in obstetric units. Further research on hand-offs in labor and delivery units is warranted.