Handover of responsibility for the anaesthetised patient - opinion and practice.

Anaesthesia is a critical and complex process that extends from the pre-operative assessment through to the postoperative management of patients. Handover of responsibility for logistical as opposed to patient-orientated reasons may compromise that process of care. If such handover becomes inevitable with shift-based patterns of working, the implications need to be considered and procedures developed in order to minimise adverse consequences. This survey of national practice reveals little formalisation of procedure and a spectrum of opinion on the relevance of the key considerations. There is, however, a majority view amongst respondents that national guidelines would be of value and that professional defensibility would be aided by standardisation and documentation of any handover.