Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Masters Thesis PDF.pdf (531.82 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Nursing Handover: The Role Of The Electronic Health Record In Facilitating The Transfer Of Care

McIntire, Anne
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1479565854775435

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Allied Medical Professions.
Patient handovers have been repeatedly identified as critically important in ensuring patient safety. Patient handovers with incomplete and inaccurate information have repeatedly been identified as a patient safety risk. The most effective nursing handover method is yet to be determined since the literature is inconclusive on the most effective and efficient nursing handovers. Evidence supports certain aspects of handover design including face-to-face communication, structured documentation, patient involvement, and use of IT technology to support the handover process. The handoff has been defined as the transfer of primary authority and responsibility for the care of a patient from a departing to an oncoming provider. A secondary analysis was conducted of an extant dataset generated from an IRB-approved, ethnographic observational study in two ICUs. A total of 20 handovers with 27 patients from July 2011 to April 2012 were included in the study. Direct observation to record actions and discussions of handovers were audiotaped and professionally transcribed. Nursing handover content was then evaluated for (1) information directly pertinent to the care of patient, (2) types of information stored in the electronic medical record shared during verbal handover, (3) information shared during verbal handovers not typically documented in the chart and (4) information that assists the oncoming nurse in preparing a plan of action. Results of the study indicated that a majority of nursing handover content was related to the patient (92%) with three exceptions. Progress notes (31%) and flowsheets (28%) contained most of the information shared in the verbal handover. Eleven categories of information shared during handovers were evaluated, including information not typically found in the chart. Most commonly discussed topics not typically found in the chart related to mentorship on clinical skills (43%), joint discussions on patient assessments (15%), contingency planning (12%), patient preferences (7%). This discussion of information not typically found in the chart emphasizes the need to for nurses to continue with verbal handovers and utilize the handover time to seek out mentorship, discuss contingency plans and patient preferences with peers. Results also revealed that handovers included substantial discussion of what has already been done or needed to be done on the next shift. These results can provide guidance in the design and development of a tool to support handovers.
Emily Patterson (Advisor)
65 p.
Health Care; Health Care Management; Nursing
electronic health record; EHR; nursing handover; handover; patient handover; handover content

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McIntire, A. (2016). The Nursing Handover: The Role Of The Electronic Health Record In Facilitating The Transfer Of Care [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1479565854775435

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McIntire, Anne. The Nursing Handover: The Role Of The Electronic Health Record In Facilitating The Transfer Of Care. 2016. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1479565854775435.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McIntire, Anne. "The Nursing Handover: The Role Of The Electronic Health Record In Facilitating The Transfer Of Care." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1479565854775435

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1479565854775435
285
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.