Oral handovers : an observational study

Abstract

The handover is traditionally an essential part of nursing. The handover should provide adequate information concerning patient care and ward activities to the incoming shift, so that safe and efficient care may be practiced. An observational study was designed to describe the process of the morning handover on two general surgical wards. The objectives of the study were to observe the length of the handover, the persons giving and receiving the handover, the type of information handed over and any other activities that occurred during the handover. Non-participant observation, using a checklist was the method chosen for the data collection. The results showed that the handovers were short in length, two handovers take place between the night-to-day and the day-to-day stafl: the nurse handing over was not always the same person who had initially received the handover and interruptions occurred which seem to disrupt the handover. This study suggests a need for further research into the process of the handover, as well as to investigate nurses' beliefs concerning handovers, so as to give an overall view of the handover process. It also indicates, a need for improvement in the current process of the handovers.