Improving Handover Practices in Healthcare

The assignment focuses on developing a plan to improve handover practices within a healthcare setting. The plan emphasizes the importance of clear communication, structured handovers, and ongoing training for staff. Data collection methods include incident reports and feedback from staff members. The plan utilizes a cyclical approach (Plan-Do-Study-Act) to iteratively refine the handover process, ensuring continuous improvement in patient safety and care quality.

Clinical Practice Improvement Project Report
Project Title:
Improve Clinical Handover among RN’s and EN’s by providing education by educational pro
Project Aim:
On the basis of SMART goal aim can be described as:
Specific: Provision of education and training regarding that help in Clinical Handover in Registered
Measurable: In first two weeks basic information regarding Clinical handover will be provided to E
weeks education regarding appropriate Clinical Handover is provided to nurses.
Attainable: Education programme first will be initiated by the provision of basic education regardi
specific process of clinical handover.
Relevant: it is the best way to improve the practice of clinical handover among EN’s and RN’s.
Time bound: The aim can be achieved in the duration of 8 weeks.
Relevance of Clinical Governance to your project
According to Schneider et al. (2010, p.16) clinical governance is an effective approach that helps
the appropriate quality of care that is provided to patients in health care setups. It also helps in
clinical standards are maintained during provision of care to patients. According to Department o
(2012, p. 5) clinical governance have 4 pillars.
1. Collaboration leadership
2. Aligned incentives
3. Clinical programmes
4. Effective training and educational programme
This assignment elaborate with fourth pillar of clinical governance that includes the use of effecti
programmes for improvement in clinical handover among registered nurses and enrolled nurses
neglecting the main and major problems or difficulty and clinical action of the patient and can also
to practice at high threat, clinical team might get concerned, hassled, dishonour, regret which p
mental distress due to errors in different scope of practices like communication and listening in

affect on the wellbeing of the patient. In the procedure of creation of the plan and its developmen
to nurses in order to practise safe and high quality of practice of bedside handover with th
development in order to cause no damage to patient’s health. According to the Nursing and Midw
p.3), staff should enhance their knowledge and skills by practising and joining time to ti
programmes moreover, Safe bedside Handover practice will reduce the errors and help to attain b
of the patient’s.
Evidence that the issue / problem is worth solving:
Pringle, Collins & Santry (2013, p. 648) states that bedside handover consists of specific
responsibilities and jobs of the patient which is given by one nurse to another nurse from end of th
is starting the shift. The main reason for the appropriate bedside handover is, that it consists
particular patients and procedures for the proper continuation of care. Manias et al. (2016, p. 89
reason for bedside handover is that the nurses and patient can see each other as result both can k
clinical process like treatment, benefits, needs, clinical investigation, evaluation and plan of care
important part in the handover, communication error contributes about 70% of failure to patient c
2013, p. 653). These kind of practices can be lethal and can risk the life of the patients if done eff
between clinical, social and personal insurance staff. Improper transition of Clinical handover f
sometimes leads to loss of information regarding patients. As these handovers consists of im
various test and diagnosis that are performed on the patients and their results. It also includes ne
ongoing medication and test that are still needed to be performed. In some cases these ha
information regarding vital sign and results of blood test and urine tests. In order to overcom
healthcare settings proper transfer of clinical handover is necessary (Australian Commission on
Care, 2010, p.4).
Key Stakeholders:
Nurses, doctors, carer, hospital administration team and patients are the main Key stake holders in
Nurses- the main responsibility of nurse manager or supervisor is to arrange the programme and m
well as they are responsible for funding and deliver training to other care givers and provide othe
hand, registered nurses and enrolled nurses will acquired and practise new learning in order to p

bedside handover.
Hospital Administration Team: The management team of particular health care setting is responsib
the preparation and significant necessary material for the training.
Doctors: It helps in improvement of effective communication among staff of different shifts and
along with the medical team and patients in order provide effective care to the patients.
Patients: Patients contribution and opinion, recommendation, doubts assist to recognise the z
outline of the plan and in the last the consequence will be assessed on the basis of their approval
CPI Tool:
According to the School of Nursing and Midwifery (2016), PDSA cycle and PEPPA framework are
processes. The most common used tool with the efficient, quick and easy to learn PDSA cycle
encourages team work and efficient positive changes in the existing health care process that res
the use of Plan-Do-Study-Act. Due to this particular reason, this this CIP tool has been chosen for
Roulleau and Trabold 2013, p 338). PDSA process obeys four vital round phases of education m
to adapt to the variations which is meant to develop the focuses of the plan (Taylor et al. 2014, p.2
(2017, pp. 24-28) the initial phase of PDSA is initiated by recognition of the questions that arises
clinical handover that further includes purpose of the evaluation of the impression and significan
solution. The following phase is “Do” which is applying the planned solution on the small scale and
the evaluation of the process which is done on the small scale and the result is compared with th
is any improvement or what need to be modify. Whether It can be implemented on the large sc
done. Analysis of the data will help to identify where change. The third one is analysis where its m
of the result to discover the rationality of the predictable variations. The final phase is the act
implication of process map. The earliest stage that is to plot a aim to give understanding and pra
intermediate the health care workers and practice the guidelines and procedures that include in
Coury et al. 2017, p.28). The strategy is to develop methods for bedside handover after the pract
next “DO” stage supports to arrange program to get into play. A unit of applicants will give a fe
plan, in which will include gathering of both qualitative and quantitative information by skilful s
correct outcome.
The third stage is the changes bought in the plan or process after through the feedback of the pati
the final one is the last stage is the act which assists the team of the project to choose if the s
contributors and if it needs upgrading in alteration of plan for the investigation (Johnson et al. 2016

Another important tool that can be used is HFMEA which was developed by VA’s National Ce
commonly known as Health Failure Modes and effects analysis. This tools is effectively used fo
healthcare team and professionals. This CIP tool is consists of 5 important steps which includes:
recognise the problem, second step is to assemble the whole health care team that will help
problem, third step is the most important step that includes the formation of a specific process
problem and includes the detailed information regarding the procedure that help in complet
(Johnson et al. 2016, p. 261). Following comes the fourth step which includes implication of h
major reasons for failure of the some steps in the plan then come the fifth step which includes deve
plan against founded loopholes and then analysis of the outcome received.
It is important to list all the failure modes that were observed during hazard analysis along with th
through the appropriate utilization of this CPI tools will help in the overcoming the problems related
Summary of proposed interventions:
Different clinical settings perform and organised different interventions, in many cases different stra
presentation, power point slides and video to educate staff members in order to upgrade their clinic
p. 261). Workforce and education development centre provide all the important material and resou
the clinical directors carried out this programme to other staff and the training lasts for two hours fo
member can get enough knowledge about handovers. (Johnson et al. 2016, p. 261).
Intense training session are organised to provide knowledge and practical practice regarding efficie
handovers among nurses of different shifts. This also includes acknowledging the nurses and heal
necessary information that is required for safe and secure transfer of patient’s information (Coury e
After that it changed process was being done in the small group of three patients then after someti
few modifications was done by the feedback, collection of data by the staff and patients after that i
small group then slowly started practising in the whole ward. (Schneider et al. p. 356).
Barriers to implementation and sustaining change:
The execution of the task has a few obstructions like the therapeutic specialists won't deal with th
some nurses don't have the excitement to learn or take an interest in the undertaking. Also, the
won't not be clear and staff may request skilful colleague for the clarification of the undertaking po
for bedside handover. A portion of the new and the old staff may experience issues in acclimating
and may not finish as indicated by the arrangement. The absence of money related issues can b

these issues must be comprehended first to have a superior result of the venture Schne
administration of the healing centre and the act of the staff may be diverse to adhering to the point
hindrance.
Evaluation of the project:
This analysis has a with in unbiased which is rationale for the investigation whether the handovers
aim of the plan is very easy, assessable, reasonable and attainable and plot positive. A unit of ind
and organize the plan. Meeting will assist to improve the standard of the handover practice metho
will be examined to attain the objective by the coaching manager. The task is reliable in sen
alteration in periods of the staff and it is trip double so that all of the care workers can contribute a
their skills. The data is collected by receiving accounts from the centre by report of incidents data.
evaluated. Therefore, it is an applicable planed job and must have standard result and if serious
synchronized again after period of time.
REFERENCES:
Australian Commission on safety and Quality in Health Care 2010, the OSSIE guide
to clinical handover improvement, Sydney.
http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/ossie.pdf
Benhamou, D, Roulleau, P & Trabold, F 2013, 'Simulation in healthcare: a new
teaching method to improve patient safety and quality of care', Réanimation,
vol. 22, no. Supplement 2, pp. 383-390.
Coury, J, Schneider, J, Rivelli, J, Petrik, A, Seibel, E, Dagostini, B, et al 2017,
'Applying the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) approach to a large pragmatic study
involving safety net clinics', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 17, no. 2, pp.
27-85.
Department of Health and Human services 2012, Ambulance Tasmania : Clinical
governance framework, Tasmania.

Johnson, M, Sanchez, P & Zheng, C 2016, Ibrahim, MA, 'The impact of an integrated
nursing handover system on nurses' satisfaction and work practices', Journal
of Clinical Nursing, vol. 25, no. 1-2, pp. 257-268.
Manias, E, Geddes, F, Watson, B, Jones, D & Della, P 2016, 'Perspectives of clinical
handover processes: a multi‐site survey across different health
professionals', Journal of Clinical Nursing, vol. 25, no. 1-2, pp. 80-91.
Pringle, P, Collins, C & Santry, H 2013, 'Utilization of morning report by acute care
surgery teams: results from a qualitative study', The American Journal of
Surgery, vol. 206, no. 5, pp. 647-54.
Schneider, Z, Whitehead, D, Elliott, D, Lobiondo-Wood, G & Haber, J 2010, Nursing
& midwifery research : methods and appraisal for evidence-based practice, 3rd
edn, Mosby Elsevier, Sydney.
School of Nursing & Midwifery 2016, Evidence Based Practice, pod, Flinders
University, South Australia, viewed 12 September 2017.
Taylor, MJ, McNichol as, C, Nicolay, C, Darzi, A. Bell, D & Reed, JE 2013,’
Systematic review of the application of the plan-do-study-act method to
improve quality in Healthcare’, BMJ Quality & Safety, vol.23, no., pp.260-270.