Effectiveness of Using Communication Tool in Clinical Handover To Enhance Patient Safety

Running Head: ASSIGNMENT 2
Effectiveness of Using Communication Tool in Clinical Handover To Enhance Patient Safety
In Hospital Setting
Students ID
Name of the University
Authors Note

2
ASSIGNMENT 2
Executive summary:
The background of the research is set against the healthcare industry in Australia and revolve
around an area of serious medical important, clinical handover. The background also explores
the importance of communication in clinical handover to manage safety of patients,
especially critical and aged patients.
The primary objective of the research is to establish relationship between the two recognised
variables namely, clinical handover and patient risk management. This main objective would
supported by a second objective which is to establish the importance of communication in
clinical handover to achieve the patient safety, the second variable of the primary objective.
The inclusion criteria of the research consists of importance of communication with respect
to clinical handover and patient risk management. The research includes substances drawn
from reliable government websites, especially from Australia and international organisations.
The research does not include aspects like motivation and human resource management in
hospitals.
The participants of the research are patients and medical practitioners from Australian
hospitals. The government protocol and laws regarding clinical handover have worked as
important intervention.
The research has taken into account both secondary and primary data. The secondary data
includes both government websites and articles.
The outcome of the research is that communication plays important role in effective clinical
handover. Clinical handover is important for safety and wellbeing of patients, which means
the primary objective of the research achieved.

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ASSIGNMENT 2
The search strategy for the research was analysis and study of a large number of articles.
Finally, most of the articles had to be discarded due to lack of reliability and the finally
selected articles were used for the analysis.
The research methodology included both primary and secondary data. The data extraction
process comprised of incorporating pieces of reliable data which were assorted using the
search strategy. The data was synthesised with the data collected from reliable websites and
primary data to give shape to the research.
The result of the research was that communication is very important for clinical handover in
an effective way. Finally, it can be concluded that the medical practitioners should ensure
appropriate clinical
Key words: Clinical handover, communication, risk management, medical practitioners

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ASSIGNMENT 2
Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................6
Significance of the project.........................................................................................................6
Designs.......................................................................................................................................7
Overview of the study................................................................................................................8
Background and literature..........................................................................................................8
Organisational cultural factors...............................................................................................8
Clinical handover and patients’ health risk management:...................................................10
Importance of communication in clinical handover:...........................................................13
Objectives of the research:.......................................................................................................15
PICO (Problem, Intervention, Control and Outcome):........................................................16
Methods of the review:.............................................................................................................16
Justification of the methods chosen:....................................................................................16
Data extraction:....................................................................................................................17
Data synthesis:.....................................................................................................................17
Review results:.........................................................................................................................18
Description of studies (Appendix 2):...................................................................................18
Results......................................................................................................................................19
Systematic process of review...............................................................................................19
Quality evaluation....................................................................................................................20
Discussion:...............................................................................................................................21

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ASSIGNMENT 2
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................21
Implications of the practice:.....................................................................................................22
Implications of the research:....................................................................................................22
References:...............................................................................................................................23
Appendix:.................................................................................................................................26

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ASSIGNMENT 2
Introduction:
The landscape in the healthcare in Australia have evolved to a tremendous level to
cater to needs of the patients. The healthcare professionals today have to modify the
healthcare systems according to the needs of the patients to ensure round the clock safety of
the latter. The professionals like the nurses and doctors have to handover the responsibility of
care of the patients to their next counterparts. Communication plays a tremendously
important role in ensuring effective clinical handover before the healthcare staff members
(Williams, 2018). This is because clinical handover involves exchange of medical
information and accountability to the next professional in the shift. Improper handover can
result in deterioration in the health condition or even death of the patients. This risk posed by
clinical handover onto the patients have led to countries like the United Kingdom and
Australia pass laws to ensure effective handover of clinical responsibilities from staff
members of one shift to the staff members of the next shift. Effective communication in
clinical handover are not restricted to the medical staff members alone but also encompass
the senior medical staffs as well, if required to ensure physical wellbeing of the patients. The
medical staff holding higher levels in the hierarchy are entrusted with the responsibility of
ensuring effective clinical handover between staff members of two successive shifts. The
medical facilities like hospitals today use computerised records of clinical handover to ensure
smooth transfer of responsibilities. These effective communication regarding clinical
handover has proved to be of great value in Australia which boasts one of the most advanced
healthcare environment in the world (Safetyandquality.gov.au, 2018). The paper would delve
into this role of effective communication to ensure effective clinical handover to ensure
security and wellbeing of the patients.

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ASSIGNMENT 2
Significance of the project
The Australian resource centre for healthcare innovation was contracted by the
Australian council for quality and safety in Health Care for offering a standard operating
protocol that is necessary for the taking part in world’s health organisation. However,
improved longevity and changing lifestyle are putting huge pressures on the all the healthcare
systems around the world.
Hospitals settings therefore, needs to manage rapidly growing number of patients who
are increasingly present with the complicated chronic condition. To improve these chronic
situation of the patient, clinical handover is necessary in medical care settings. In this context,
clinical handover refers to the transfer of the professional responsibility and accountability
for all the required aspects of care provision for the patient to another individual on a
temporary basis.
However, due to changing conditions of work in health care settings clinical handover
has become a necessary task. The Australian national safety and Quality health service
standards offers the external criteria in different care settings to evaluate the practise. In order
to avoid and reduce errors in communication and treatment of the patients, clinical handover
is important to understand in all healthcare settings.
Aim
The main aim of the project is to evaluate the effectiveness of communication taking
place through clinical handover in health care settings. Based on this the study has
investigated the emerging activities of clinical handover and existing trends in health and
communication method that influences on the service user.

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ASSIGNMENT 2
Designs
All the designs and method of the project have been conducted through integrative
and rapid review of literature using various electronic database such as CINAHL, SCOPUS,
and COCHRANE library. The project has been performed through comprehensive literature
search through rapid reviews using multiple bibliographic electronic databases. Grey
literature was searched in a thorough way and the health technology evaluation based on
clinical handover were surveyed to recognise the additional review of the literature.
However, detailed data has been collected from the literature review and reporting
sources that are close to the rapid review search strategies. In this regards, the quality of
conduct and reporting of rapid review have been evaluated using the A measurement Tool to
analyse the systematic (AMSTAR) and preferred reporting items that are necessary for
required for systemic reviews. Therefore, compliance with each of checklist was effectively
examined with the sum of reported items in the systematic review to illustrate the overall
compliance.
Overview of the study
Background and literature
Organisational cultural factors
Communication is the process of cooperation that usually has four major
elements including sender, the message, the recipients and the feedback. However,
Anderson et al., (2015) stated that communication is highly influenced owing to personal
feelings and those can be framed by the organisational culture. Therefore, it is essential
within the organisational context that communication is considered while framing process of
clinical handover. The studies in this context are limited.