Introduction: There is a high risk for communication breakdown, discontinuity of clinical care, and medical errors during ED physician handover. Locally, there is no standardized handover process to ensure adequate communication of critical information. Our aim was to use a locally developed handover tool to increase frequency of adequate physician handover during overnight shift change by 50% in 4 months. Methods: Using published best practices, local observational data, and stakeholder input, we determined critical components of ED handovers. We developed a structured communication tool for two unique populations in our ED: ED-VITAL for patients receiving active ED care; ED-VSA for patients who are admitted/referred. Strategies used to implement the tool included: engagement of staff physicians to introduce & modify the tool; formal education and training to ED residents; and provision of cognitive aids. A QI coordinator conducted direct observations of handovers using convenience sampling. We provided feedback to staff and resident physicians, and used their input to continuously modify the tool. The main outcome measure was adequate patient handover, defined as verbal communication of 50% of critical handover components, or documentation of key information on an electronic note. Process measures included tool utilization characteristics. Balance measures included time metrics such as handover duration. We present run charts and qualitative statistics. Results: We assessed 368 individual patient handovers (93 pre- & 275 post-implementation). The median proportion of patients in active ED care who were verbally handed over increased from 75% to 100%. The median proportion of adequate handovers improved from 50% to 72%. The time to deliver handover increased by 13 seconds per patient. Qualitative feedback from end users was positive overall, particularly for communication quality and resident educational value. Conclusion: Use of a standardized handover tool improved both verbal and documented communication during shift change. A customized approach, sensitive to local context, was important to successful implementation. Residents play a large role in handovers; strategies to improve handover processes that emphasize medical education appear to enhance success. Future PDSA cycles will focus on interventions to further enhance the utilization of the tool, and to measure direct impact on clinical outcomes.

Introduction: Safe and efficient handovers between emergency medical services (EMS) practitioners and emergency nurses are vital as poor transitions may lead to loss of information and place patients at risk for adverse events. We conducted a mixed methods systematic review to a) examine factors that disrupt or improve handovers from EMS practitioners to emergency department nurses, and b) investigate the effectiveness of interventional strategies that lead to improvements in communication and fewer adverse events. Methods: We searched electronic databases (DARE, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP; Communication Abstracts); grey literature (grey literature databases, organization websites, querying experts in emergency medicine); and reference lists of the included studies. Citation tracking was conducted for the included studies. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and full-texts for inclusion and methodological quality using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for quantitative studies and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critic Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Narrative and thematic synthesis were conducted to integrate and explore relationships within the data. Results: Twenty-two studies were included in this review from the 6150 records initially retrieved. Our analysis suggests that qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research approaches have been utilized to explore handovers. Studies (n=11) have predominantly explored existing patterns of handovers focusing on barriers and facilitators. Interventions (e.g. multimedia transmission of pre-hospital information, tailored e-learning program) were investigated in five studies. Results suggest that lack of formal handover training, workflow interruptions, workload, and strained working relationships between EMS and nursing are perceived threats to optimal handovers. Conclusion: The findings from this review can inform the development of handover interventions and contribute to a more rigorous approach to researching handovers between EMS practitioners and emergency nurses. Furthermore, there is a need for studies in which specific interventions to optimize handovers are examined.

There is a considerable body of literature on the importance of effective shift handovers in hospitals and other health-care settings but less is known about the transfer of information between staff starting and completing stints of paid work in care homes. In the first of two articles considering this under-explored topic, we report findings from a scoping review examining what is known about shift-to-shift handovers in care homes for older people and their equivalents. It is based on systematic searches of electronic databases of English-language journals on ageing and internet searches for material published between January 2005 and October 2016. Guidance from the regulatory body for health and social care in England, the Care Quality Commission, highlights the importance of handovers in care homes but the degree to which they are embedded into care home routines appears to be variable, influenced by factors such as workplace culture, shift patterns and the extent to which they involve all those on duty or just those with professional qualifications. Staffing shortages and whether or not members of staff are paid for their time attending handovers appear to be further constraints on their use. We conclude that there is considerable scope for further research in this field to identify and develop good practice.