Effect of clinical patient handoff improvement studies on patient results and nursing handling practices: A complex nursing intervention development study

Communication errors during nursing handover pose a threat to patient safety. This study focuses on the feasibility, evaluation, and implementation of nursing handover among nurses, aiming to enhance its effectiveness. The interventions conducted in the General Surgery Intensive Care Unit, Internal Medicine Department, and General Surgery Department at Adana City Training and Research Hospital between January and September 2022 were carried out in a quasi-experimental design. A total of 658 instances of nursing handover (handing over/receiving), 369 patients, and 50 nurses were included in the study, along with 969 standard patient handover forms. Analysis of the "Handoff CEX" Handover Scale (handing over/receiving) total score and section mean scores revealed a statistically significant increase between eight weeks and two weeks after the intervention compared to pre-intervention (p<0.005). When examining the changes in the Newcastle Nursing Care Satisfaction Scale and Nurse Trust Scale over time, it was found that two weeks after the intervention had significantly higher scores than pre-intervention, and two weeks after the intervention had significantly higher scores than eight weeks after the intervention (p=0.001, p=0.008, respectively). Information transfer was initiated in areas such as patient age, gender, reason for admission, control of high-risk medications at the bedside, and patient summary that were not previously included in the handover process. Following the complex nursing intervention, the quality of handover among nurses improved, handover duration significantly decreased, and patient satisfaction with nursing care and trust in nurses significantly increased. Enhancements should be made to standardize handovers in hospitals.