Integrating hand-off communication into undergraduate nursing clinical courses

Abstract

With the growing complexity of healthcare, the ability to communicate becomes essential within the interprofessional team. Healthcare organizations have great expectations for new graduate nurses to communicate skillfully while promoting safe patient care. Nursing students may lack experience with interprofessional communication skills and are fearful of making mistakes which may jeopardize patient safety and undermine student self-confidence. Hand-off is the communication of information between people or disciplines. A student hand-off communication activity was developed and implemented as a clinical skillbuilding activity across several undergraduate clinical nursing courses. Evaluation of this activity revealed positive perceptions from both students and staff.

Effect of a Simulation-Based Handover Education Program for Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental Design

“…However, some inexperienced nurses often make mistakes in the handover process for various reasons, such as their lack of nursing experience, psychological crisis, and relationship conflicts, all of which can hinder the effectiveness of nursing work [4]. Such errors also delay the diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of patients, thereby increasing patient morbidity and mortality, and possibly longer-term hospitalization, reducing patient satisfaction [5,6]. Thus, studies reporting the current state of handover by clinical nurses in Korea constantly emphasize the need for educating nurses on accurate handover methods [4,7,8].…”

Evaluation of a nursing handoff educational bundle to improve nursing student handoff communications: A pilot study

“…[18] Gore et al describes the use of student handoff communication tools and a process to develop student handoff skills. [19] There is also literature describing the effective use of simulation to provide safety communication education in undergraduate nursing education. [20][21][22] Safety simulation should mimic the complexities in real life by simulating missing information and complex situations.…”

Educational Interventions to Improve Handover in Health Care: An Updated Systematic Review

“…5 , 12 – 14 Research has linked handovers to inaccurate assessments and diagnoses, delayed and inappropriate treatment, and medical errors—all of which are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, longer hospital stays, and poor patient satisfaction. 8 , 15 , 16 Research indicates that handovers may be significant factors in many malpractice claims 9 and in a large percentage of sentinel events. 9 , 15 , 17 – 19 …”

“… 8 , 15 , 16 Research indicates that handovers may be significant factors in many malpractice claims 9 and in a large percentage of sentinel events. 9 , 15 , 17 – 19 …”

“… 8 , 23 – 27 Theoretical and pedagogical frameworks are often lacking, 2 , 13 , 25 and the teaching and assessment methods used—at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels—vary greatly, 27 resulting in learners who are unable to apply theory to practice. 15 …”