Bedside handover with structured and relayed forms in a postanesthesia care unit: A pre- and post-implementation study

Abstract

Background: Early postoperative patients are vulnerable. Poor communication between health care professionals may seriously damage patients' wellbeing. There is a risk of information loss when bedside handover is performed.

Objectives: To investigate whether the implementation of structured and relayed forms to shift-to-shift bedside handovers improve the frequency of appropriate handover elements and reduces the incidence of adverse events and postoperative length of stay for patients in a postanesthesia care unit.

Methods: This quality improvement project was conducted in a postanesthesia care unit of a tertiary stomatological hospital in China. The study population was patients under surveillance in the postanesthesia care unit for >12 h. A pre- and post-implementation approach was employed. The pre-implementation of unstructured bedside handovers and the post-implementation of bedside handovers with structured and relayed forms were compared. The indicators measured were appropriate handover elements, adverse patient events, and postoperative hospital stay.

Results: There were 387 and 395 morning handovers observed pre- and post-implementation of bedside handovers with structured and relayed forms, respectively. Of the 21 elements that should be delivered, 17 elements were noted to be improved. No improvement was found in the incidence of adverse events and postoperative hospital stay.

Conclusions: Bedside handovers with structured and relayed forms increased the incidence of appropriate handover elements. The use of structured and relayed forms did not affect on the incidence of adverse events and postoperative hospital stay. Individualized relayed handover forms may be developed and implemented according to the characteristics in which they are administered.

Keywords: Communication; Comparative study; Nurses; Patient handover; Postanesthesia nursing.