Patient Handoff Communication

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...We have accomplished everything that we set out to do for this project. We constructed an outline of our project to help guide us through the process. Five research articles were found regarding communication during transfers. We then used these articles to help put together a survey that was sent out to the MED/SURG staff to evaluate their feelings regarding current transfer systems and what they considered to be key components in transfer communication. Surveys were collected and analyzed with the help of Survey Monkey. The research articles that we found along with survey results aided us in finding and fine-tuning a tool that was presented to Robin, the MED/SURG supervisor, for approval and eventually distribution. Our method of approach …show more content…

We set up a meeting with Robin Burse, the Nurse Supervisor of the med/surg floor, to gather information on the current process of the facility regarding patient transfers. Then, we created a survey to better analyze the current handoff process utilized by nurses on the floor as well as what constitutes pertinent information needed during patient handoffs and transfers (Boat & Spaeth, 2013, p. 2) (James, Quirke & Mcbride, 2013, p. 299). According to Robin there was no standardized tool or policy on the transfer of patient information when sending or receiving patients between units. The nurses on the floor seemed to be indecisive as to what constitutes as pertinent information as well as their view of how well their current process of transferring patient data between nurses …show more content…

This made many nurses and the nursing management frustrated with the inconsistency of information that was being transferred with the patient and the potential compromise in patient safety. “…[A] standard approach to handoff communications is included among JCAHO’s national patient safety goals, as is the reconciliation of medications at care transitions.” (Kripalami, 2007, p. 831). From our survey responses and our meetings with Robin we compiled the data collected along with management input and research findings. All of these avenues gave us a direction in creating a concise, efficient, mnemonic hand-off tool for Med/Surg ICU

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