Clinical handover, patient handover or handover is the transfer of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a patient, or group of patients, to another person or professional group on a temporary or permanent basis.
Failure in handover is a major source in preventable patient harm. Clinical handover is an international concern and
Australia and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
have reviewed this and developed risk reduction recommendations.
[ Some strategies to improve handover include bedside handover, using ]SBAR
SBAR is an acronym for Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation; a technique that can be used to facilitate prompt and appropriate communication. This communication model has gained popularity in healthcare settings, especially amongst pro ...
and using computerised handover sheets ''Wendy Chaboyer et al'', Bedside Handover; One Quality Improvement Strategy to “Transform Care at the Bedside”, Retrieved 15 September 2012
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See also
* Change-of-shift report (nursing)
References
Patient safety
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