Clinical Handover: PDF

Clinical handover is defined as the "transfer of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a patient, or a group of patients, to another person or professional group on a temporary or permanent basis. In nursing, the definition of a clinical handover is narro...

Clinical handover is defined as the "transfer of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a patient, or a group of patients, to another person or professional group on a temporary or permanent basis. In nursing, the definition of a clinical handover is narrowed down to the process of transferring information about a patient's condition and the responsibility of patient care to the nursing staff of another shift. It is recognised as a key component of clinical practice and is the most frequent and vital communication process occurring between nurses in the management of patient care. During handover, nurses communicate with the nursing staff of the same or different wards, and sometimes with clinicians or other allied health professionals. Due to such complexity, the quality of communication at handover is crucial to a successful transfer of patient-care responsibility within and between specialists, wards, or care teams to ensure the continuity of effective care. The failure of nurses to effectively communicate vital information during handover is a recurring theme in the literature. Nursing handover is the transfer of professional accountability and responsibility from one health care professional to another through a predominantly verbal transmission of information. Also, handover is a verbal and/or written communication of the patients\' current information that ensures the delivery of effective and holistic care. This process is an established nursing practice that is essential and pivotal for the continuity of patient care. Handover serves many functions such as debriefing, socialising, patient education, and communication of information. Continuity of patient care requires the coordination of services and treatment to be effectively communicated between the health care team. Therefore, poor communication or an unreliable exchange of patient\'s treatment information during handover can lead to ineffective treatment and furthermore may result in an inadequate coordination of care services.