Training in communication and interaction during shift-to-shift nursing handovers in a bilingual hospital: A case study

Factors associated with nurses’ perceptions, their communication skills and the quality of clinical handover in the Hong Kong context

“…Although many studies supported that the proper use of the ISBARQ protocol can facilitate nurses to structure clearer communication during the handover process, others reported that it was not the only factor that determined the quality of handover. In fact, the quality of handover communication also highly depends on nurses’ perceptions of their handover practice [ 28 , 29 ] and their degree of understanding of the patient care plan [ 11 ]. The path coefficient in our study revealed that the understanding of the patient care plan plays a significant positive role (.206, p < .01) in enhancing the quality of handover, which was in line with Slade et al’s [ 28 , 29 ] and Pun et al’s [ 11 ] studies.…”

“…In fact, the quality of handover communication also highly depends on nurses’ perceptions of their handover practice [ 28 , 29 ] and their degree of understanding of the patient care plan [ 11 ]. The path coefficient in our study revealed that the understanding of the patient care plan plays a significant positive role (.206, p < .01) in enhancing the quality of handover, which was in line with Slade et al’s [ 28 , 29 ] and Pun et al’s [ 11 ] studies. Thus, nurses should be encouraged to check for patients’ information regarding both diagnosis and treatment as frequently as possible to improve their understanding.…”

“…To measure the nurses’ perceptions of their communication skills and the quality of handover, a validated 22-item questionnaire named the Nurses Handover Perceptions Questionnaire (NHPQ) was adopted [ 11 ] (See the supplementary material ). The NHPQ items were originally adapted from Klim et al [ 31 ] and Street et al [ 32 ], which examined nurses’ perceptions of their current practices and essential components of effective shift-to-shift nursing handovers.…”

“…Handover communication protocols are designed to help nursing staff to structure their handover communication and present patients’ information in a logical and coherent manner, with the aim of reducing the possibility of miscommunication or misunderstanding between the nursing professionals. Research demonstrated that a clear communication structure for nursing handover was highly beneficial to ensure that clinicians cover each important area of information [ 10 ] and provide opportunities for clarification to both the giver and the receiver of patients’ responsibility [ 11 – 13 ]. Gardiner et al [ 14 ] found that technical errors during handovers and high-risk events following handovers can be reduced if there is an appropriate use of a structured, standardised clinical tool for handovers, as they provided an effective format for the delivery of comprehensive and accurate medical information, with fewer omissions [ 15 ].…”

An Evidence-Based, Nursing Handover Standard for a Multisite Public Hospital in Switzerland: Web-Based, Modified Delphi Study

“…Unfortunately, the world's countries were not universally proactive in addressing this recommendation and implementing structured, evidence-based handovers to improve patient safety and the continuity of care. Countries such as Australia, Belgium, China, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States, and the Netherlands developed national and regional standards for nursing and interprofessional handovers [4,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Despite a recent systematic review by Bukoh and Siah, which demonstrated that structured handovers reduced incidences of patient complications, medication errors, and general adverse events, none of the handover standards examined had been designed using a robust evidence-based methodology.…”