This project reviewed the structures, processes and outcomes of bedside nursing handover and whiteboard assisted communication as two strategies to improve the type and accuracy of information communicated among health professionals.
Communication of patient information
Researchers from Griffith University Research Centre for Clinical Practice Innovation, Queensland Health Patient Safety Centre and Peel Health Campus, Western Australia worked on this project.
Good communication of patient information, both within and between professional groups, is key to ensuring patient safety and continuity of care.
Efficient Bedside handovers were seen to improve accuracy and promote patient-centred care.
When successfully implemented, whiteboards were perceived to be useful prompts for referral and timely discharge, however unsuccessfully implemented, it was seen as an imposition of management and a cause of conflict between members of the multidisciplinary team.
Produced by Griffith University: