Abstract
Session presented on Saturday, November 7, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015:
Purpose: What is the impact of a standardized patient handoff tool on student communication in the clinical setting for nursing students?
Background/Introduction: According to the Joint Commission, approximately 80% of medical errors involve ineffective communication when patients are transferred between healthcare workers (Nether, 2009). Lack of standardization contributes to errors of omission during patient handoff (Ong & Coiera, 2011). Lack of professional education in effective ways to communicate leads to miscommunication and suboptimal care. Use of standardized communication techniques improve transfer of important patient information during handoff (Pothier, Monteiro, Mooktiar, & Shaw, 2005). Education in communication allows nursing students to share information effectively. Improved handoff report leads to fewer medical mishaps and lower liability for healthcare facilities (Nether, 2009; Pothier, Monteiro, Mooktiar, & Shaw, 2005). Nurse faculty should prepare nursing students to become effective communicators.
Implementation: This pilot project used a standardized tool to improve transfer during handoff. Participants were recruited from a convenience sample of students in a Baccalaureate of Nursing program. This project used a pre/post-implementation design. Two recordings of patient handoff were made by participants; the first recording was in an unscripted manner prior to instruction in use of the tool and the second recording was made after education and practice with the tool.
Evaluation: Recordings showed an improvement in the percentage of critical patient data transferred with use of the tool. Student participants recorded a mean of 22.75% of all patient data without the use of a tool and a mean of 92.5% with the use of a tool. This shows an improvement of 69.75% transfer of all critical patient data.
Conclusions: The findings of this pilot project demonstrated an increased percentage of patient information included with use of the tool. Nursing students need to communicate effectively to ensure safe, positive outcomes; nurse educators must prepare nursing students for this role by teaching effective communication skills and accurate transfer of information to ensure continuity of patient care and safety. Recommendations include further study with more participants to determine the benefits of educating nursing students to use a standardized tool during handoff.
References:
Nether, K. (2009). Facts about the hand-off communications project. Retrieved from Center for Transforming Healthcare: http://www.centerfortransforminghealthcare.org/assets/4/6/CTH_HOC_Fact_Sheet.pdf Ong, M., & Coiera, E. (2011). A systematic review of failures in handoff communication during intrahospital transfers. Joint commission Journal on quality and patient safety, 37(6), 274 Pothier, D., Monteiro, P., Mooktiar, M., & Shaw, A. (2005). Pilot study to show the loss of important data in nursing handover. British Journal of Nursing, 14 (20), 1090-1093. TeamSTEPPS . (2013, November 10). Retrieved from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://teamstepps.ahrq.gov/aboutnationalIP.htm
Sigma Membership
Beta Delta at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Handoff, Handover, Standardized Tool
Recommended Citation
Hinds, Kim R., "The impact of a standardized handoff tool on student communication in the clinical setting" (2016). Convention. 317.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2015/posters_2015/317
Conference Name
43rd Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Conference Year
2015
Rights Holder
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Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
The impact of a standardized handoff tool on student communication in the clinical setting
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Session presented on Saturday, November 7, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015:
Purpose: What is the impact of a standardized patient handoff tool on student communication in the clinical setting for nursing students?
Background/Introduction: According to the Joint Commission, approximately 80% of medical errors involve ineffective communication when patients are transferred between healthcare workers (Nether, 2009). Lack of standardization contributes to errors of omission during patient handoff (Ong & Coiera, 2011). Lack of professional education in effective ways to communicate leads to miscommunication and suboptimal care. Use of standardized communication techniques improve transfer of important patient information during handoff (Pothier, Monteiro, Mooktiar, & Shaw, 2005). Education in communication allows nursing students to share information effectively. Improved handoff report leads to fewer medical mishaps and lower liability for healthcare facilities (Nether, 2009; Pothier, Monteiro, Mooktiar, & Shaw, 2005). Nurse faculty should prepare nursing students to become effective communicators.
Implementation: This pilot project used a standardized tool to improve transfer during handoff. Participants were recruited from a convenience sample of students in a Baccalaureate of Nursing program. This project used a pre/post-implementation design. Two recordings of patient handoff were made by participants; the first recording was in an unscripted manner prior to instruction in use of the tool and the second recording was made after education and practice with the tool.
Evaluation: Recordings showed an improvement in the percentage of critical patient data transferred with use of the tool. Student participants recorded a mean of 22.75% of all patient data without the use of a tool and a mean of 92.5% with the use of a tool. This shows an improvement of 69.75% transfer of all critical patient data.
Conclusions: The findings of this pilot project demonstrated an increased percentage of patient information included with use of the tool. Nursing students need to communicate effectively to ensure safe, positive outcomes; nurse educators must prepare nursing students for this role by teaching effective communication skills and accurate transfer of information to ensure continuity of patient care and safety. Recommendations include further study with more participants to determine the benefits of educating nursing students to use a standardized tool during handoff.
References:
Nether, K. (2009). Facts about the hand-off communications project. Retrieved from Center for Transforming Healthcare: http://www.centerfortransforminghealthcare.org/assets/4/6/CTH_HOC_Fact_Sheet.pdf Ong, M., & Coiera, E. (2011). A systematic review of failures in handoff communication during intrahospital transfers. Joint commission Journal on quality and patient safety, 37(6), 274 Pothier, D., Monteiro, P., Mooktiar, M., & Shaw, A. (2005). Pilot study to show the loss of important data in nursing handover. British Journal of Nursing, 14 (20), 1090-1093. TeamSTEPPS . (2013, November 10). Retrieved from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://teamstepps.ahrq.gov/aboutnationalIP.htm
Description
43rd Biennial Convention 2015 Theme: Serve Locally, Transform Regionally, Lead Globally.