Lecture notes Acute Care (SHN2004)

SHN2004 (Acute Care)


Nursing Handover and SBAR

Aims & Objectives
 What is communication?
 Recognise the importance of clear and effective handover
 What are the barriers to effective handover
 Communication tools

What is Communication
 “Communication is the process by which information is exchanged between sender
and receiver”
 How do we communicate in nursing?
o IT is now a major way of communicating especially following the recent
pandemic – it is part and parcel of the NHS Service not just in terms of advice
to patients but also remote meetings between staff
o Face to Face Communication remains important
 As children nurses there is a need to be able to effectively
communicate with both adults and children – e.g. explaining a
situation to a parent and then explaining it to a child in a way that
they can both understand
 Different people/ages have different levels of understanding and may
also have elements of cognitive impairment
o Written Communication
o We are responsible for what is said/not said; written/not written
o Best Communication Practice
 Brief
 And also precise
 Clear
 Timely

Handover
 Handover, is the exchange between health professionals of information about a
patient.
 The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has defined clinical handover as a process
where there is:
o ‘the transfer of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all
aspects of care for a patient, or group of patients, to another person or
professional’ (NPSA, 2007)
 Not just the passing of information – also the passing on of
responsibility – it is therefore an incredibly important part of the
nursing practice

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, SHN2004 (Acute Care)


 Various clauses throughout the NMC for nurses requirement and
responsibilities to be effective in their communication
 What do you think are barriers to effective handover?
o Staff shortages
o Distraction
o Failure to record/pass on information
o Jargon (potential for misinterpretation)
o Interruptions
o Poor communication skills
o Letting personal circumstances affect your ability to convey information or
listen/concentrate on the information being provided
 Even when concentrating you only take in approximately 50% of the
information being presented (unless that information is being
reinforced) – this is less when you are distracted
o Can lack structure – don’t follow a set pattern
 Current handover practices are often criticised as being highly variable, unstructured
and error-prone
 What types of handovers have you witnessed/participated in?
o Verbal
 Most typical form
 Given by ward sister/lead nurse
o Written
o Tape recorded
o Bedside
 Importance of effective handover
o When a nurse hands over responsibility of care to another nurse there is an
opportunity for error if all the important medical information is not shared
thoroughly and efficiently.
o Failing to mention ‐ or grasp ‐ information may result in delays in treatment
or diagnosis for the patient, inappropriate treatment, or failure to provide
appropriate care.
o Consequently, an accurate handover of clinical information is essential to
ensure continuity of care and patients’ safety.
 Ground rules for handover (Currie 2002)
o Confidential
o Uninterrupted
o Brief
 But full of the relevant information
o Accurate



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