5 Strategies to Improve Handoff Communications

Communication breakdowns are a leading cause of errors in the healthcare system and handoffs are largely depended on the interpersonal communication skills of nurses.

Handoffs occur anytime there is a transfer of responsibility for a patient from one caregiver to another. It is an opportunity to share critical information about a patient with the goal being to provide timely, accurate information about a patient’s care plan, treatment, current condition and any recent or anticipated changes (Runy, 2009). 

While ineffective handoffs can lead to adverse events, there are strategies that can easily be adopted to improve the process. Join Mary Ann Friesen, PhD, RN, CPHQ on Wednesday, February 24th at 2:00 pm ET to examine current practices, identify barriers to the handoff process, and discuss strategies for effective handoffs. 

Read an excerpt from Mary Ann’s chapter, Handoffs: Implications for Nurses published in Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses, published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Read more…

Reference: Runy, L. (2009). Patient handoffs. Hospitals and Health Networks. Click here to retrieve article.

Improve Handoffs in Your Organization

Join Mary Ann Friesen, PhD, RN, CPHQ on Wednesday, February 24th at 2:00 p.m. ET to examine current practices, identify barriers to the handoff process and discuss strategies for effective handoffs. Register now!

Dr. Friesen is the Quality Consultant at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia and one of the authors of Handoffs: Implications for Nurses, a chapter in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s publication Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses.

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