Aim: Implementation of a locally developed evidence based nursing shift handover blueprint with a bedside-safety-check to determine the effect size on quality of handover.
Methods: A mixed methods design with: (1) an interrupted time series analysis to determine the effect on handover quality in six domains; (2) descriptive statistics to analyze the intercepted discrepancies by the bedside-safety-check; (3) evaluation sessions to gather experiences with the new handover process.
Results: We observed a continued trend of improvement in handover quality and a significant improvement in two domains of handover: organization/efficiency and contents. The bedside-safety-check successfully identified discrepancies on drains, intravenous medications, bandages or general condition and was highly appreciated.
Conclusion: Use of the nursing shift handover blueprint showed promising results on effectiveness as well as on feasibility and acceptability. However, to enable long term measurement on effectiveness, evaluation with large scale interrupted times series or statistical process control is needed.
Keywords: Continuity of care; Interrupted time series; Nursing handover; Patient safety; Quality improvement.
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