Nurse's Perceptions of Handover and Communication Barriers

By

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION3

1.1 Background3

1.2 Problem Statement4

1.3 Theoretical Framework6

1.4 Research Question7

1.5 Aim of Study7

1.6 Objectives of Study8

1.7 Research Study Approaches8

1.8 Focus Group10

1.9 Sample10

1.10 Data Collection11

1.11 Potential Results12

1.12 Funding13

1.13 Dissemination of Finding13

1.14 Limitation Of The Study14

1.15 Ethical Considerations14

1.16 Summary15

REFERENCES17

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Handover is a significant process during which the healthcare representatives share data and exchange the responsibility for the care of patient to each other. This information transfer needs the transfer of data about patient's condition and the needs for further analysis and treatment. The evaluations of the main cause of the adverse events contribute to more than 70% of the adverse events that occur in the context of handover (Sutcliffe, Lewton,Rosenthal,2004).

A research by the health care research agency found that about 49% of the participants stated that the significant patient care data is lost during the change in shifts. This failure to communicate the imperative information during the time of hand over usually has a negative impact on the quality of care. For instance, in a study 56% of the handovers where the healthcare workers did not transfer the data relevant to the care of patient results in an adverse outcome like the delay in communication with inpatient units or the missed therapy (Landucci,Gipe,1998,8-10). The project here explores the main communication errors that become the basis for the mistakes in hand over and the perception of nurses and doctors about the barriers to effective handover. The barriers to hand over refer to any situation which predispose the improper handover. The improper handovers are those where the data important to the provision of the patient care is not shifted communicated among the clinicians. The impact of the inadequate handover comprises of the missed data.

The need for safe patient handoff including change of shift report has been the object of much discussion among nurses and other health care professionals, government agencies, and consumers (Trossman, 2009). Shift report was a time when staff nurses transferred information about patients between shifts (Skaalvik, Normann, & Henriksen, 2010). Shift report was complex and an important part of nursing practice that provided current and updated information regarding the patient (Skaalvik, Normann, & Henriksen, 2010). Shift report represented a system for communicating information that facilitated patient care processes, was viewed as a purposeful activity that allowed for the exchange of patient information and allowed for knowledge sharing and reflection (O'Brien, Gillies, McCloughen & McSherry, 2008). However, gaps in communication resulted in a cascade of events that exposed patients to harm while causing needless expense (Grant, & Colello, 2009). The key was to implement a handoff communication that clearly defined the transfer of responsibility from one nurse to another, standardized the communication process and allowed for an interactive exchange between the nurses and the patients (Runy, 2008).

1.2 Problem Statement

The problem addressed in this study is there are communication barriers among the nurses in practicing the handoffs. The significance of the problem was that effective handoff communication between nurses has the potential to prevent ...