Emergency department multiprofessional handover

Abstract

Our unique morning handover structure ensures patient safety, as well as the appropriate transfer of information and responsibility to all involved with the care of patients in the ED. It offers the opportunity for multiprofessional learning, encourages teamwork and improves operational processes within the ED.

Development and implementation of a standardised emergency department intershift handover tool to improve physician communication

“…We performed a literature review of published articles describing handover practices, that focused on ED-specific models and experiences with demonstrated positive quality and safety improvements 1 3 4 7 8 10 12 14 16–18 20–23 25. There is no gold standard that is currently accepted to define ‘adequate’ ED intershift handover.…”

“…Significant benefits in patient safety, communication and daily work have been reported from handover standardisation in inpatient settings, especially those involving multiple professionals and combining verbal and written communication9–11 Errors and omissions leading to duplication of efforts and delays in patient throughput have been attributed to structure of the handover process 12. While handover between the ED and other units (eg, pre-hospital and/or inpatient) has been well studied,13–17 there is a dearth of research pertaining to handover within the ED where care plans initiated by one ED physician are completed by another.…”

Patient handover – the poor relation of medical training?

“…Introducing structured submission schemas reduces the frequency of treatment errors, improves the quality of treatment and patient safety, and increases patient and employee satisfaction [11], [12], [13], [14], [15]. …”

Improving emergency department medical clinical handover: Barriers at the bedside

“…These are critical moments that influence patient care. High patient turnover and a wide range of presentations in the ED create a complex case load, which varies from hour to hour . An effective clinical handover process, whereby information about a patient's care is passed from one healthcare professional to the next accurately and reliably, is essential to ensure continuity of care …”

“…High patient turnover and a wide range of presentations in the ED create a complex case load, which varies from hour to hour. 2 An effective clinical handover process, whereby information about a patient's care is passed from one healthcare professional to the next accurately and reliably, is essential to ensure continuity of care. 1 Australian research examining medical clinical handover in EDs and in general, has identified that poor handover practices result in incomplete information transfer and consequently repetition of assessments, 3 delayed treatment, 3,4 medication errors, avoidable readmissions, increased patient morbidity and mortality.…”