![]() ![]() It is a real-time process of passing patient-specific information from one caregiver to another or from one team of caregivers to another for the purpose of ensuring the continuity and safety of the patient’s care.” Why Are Handoffs Problematic?Ĭonsider for a moment your own healthcare facility. The Joint Commission defines a handoff report as “a transfer and acceptance of patient care responsibility achieved through effective communication. The purpose of these reports is the transmission of responsibility and important patient information between clinicians. Your facility may refer to it as a shift report, a nurse report, a handover report, a signout, a signover, a nurse-to-nurse report, an end-of-shift report, or simply a nursing report. A nursing handoff report is a tool with many different names depending on the work setting. ![]() The meaning of “handoff” is to transfer the responsibility and information of patient care from one clinician to another. When nursing handoffs are incomplete or inadequate, the consequences can range from medication errors to malpractice and even to preventable deaths. Those points of transition-when one clinician is finishing a shift and the next is starting-are critical moments for both patients and facilities. Whether your staff work eight-, 10-, or 12-hour shifts, the implication for patients in your facility is mostly the same-they will receive care from different nurses and clinicians over the course of their stay. The alliteration and meaning combine for a solid and memorable catchphrase useful for advertising, but its implication for a healthcare facility is much deeper than many outsiders understand. Continuity of care is a phrase often thrown about in the healthcare industry.
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