Kate Wood1, Robert Crouch2, Emma Rowland3, Catherine Pope4. 1. Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, Newport, UK. 2. Emergency Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK. 3. Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kings College London, London, UK. 4. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Clinical handover plays a vital role in patient care and has been investigated in hospital settings, but less attention has been paid to the interface between prehospital and hospital settings. This paper reviews the published research on these handovers. METHODS: A computerised literature search was conducted for papers published between 2000 and 2013 using combinations of terms: 'handover', 'handoff', 'prehospital', 'ambulance', 'paramedic' and 'emergency' and citation searching. Papers were assessed and included if determined to be at least moderate quality with a primary focus on prehospital to hospital handover. FINDINGS: 401 studies were identified, of which 21 met our inclusion criteria. These revealed concerns about communication and information transfer, and themes concerning context, environment and interprofessional relationships. It is clear that handover exchanges are complicated by chaotic and noisy environments, lack of time and resources. Poor communication is linked to behaviours such as not listening, mistrust and misunderstandings between staff. While standardisation is offered as a solution, notably in terms of the use of mnemonics (alphabetical memory aids), evidence for benefit appears inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: This review raises concerns about handovers at the interface between prehospital and hospital settings. The quality of existing research in this area is relatively poor and further high-quality research is required to understand this important part of emergency care. We need to understand the complexity of handover better to grasp the challenges of context and interprofessional relationships before we reach for tools and techniques to standardise part of the handover process. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
BACKGROUND: Clinical handover plays a vital role in patient care and has been investigated in hospital settings, but less attention has been paid to the interface between prehospital and hospital settings. This paper reviews the published research on these handovers. METHODS: A computerised literature search was conducted for papers published between 2000 and 2013 using combinations of terms: 'handover', 'handoff', 'prehospital', 'ambulance', 'paramedic' and 'emergency' and citation searching. Papers were assessed and included if determined to be at least moderate quality with a primary focus on prehospital to hospital handover. FINDINGS: 401 studies were identified, of which 21 met our inclusion criteria. These revealed concerns about communication and information transfer, and themes concerning context, environment and interprofessional relationships. It is clear that handover exchanges are complicated by chaotic and noisy environments, lack of time and resources. Poor communication is linked to behaviours such as not listening, mistrust and misunderstandings between staff. While standardisation is offered as a solution, notably in terms of the use of mnemonics (alphabetical memory aids), evidence for benefit appears inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: This review raises concerns about handovers at the interface between prehospital and hospital settings. The quality of existing research in this area is relatively poor and further high-quality research is required to understand this important part of emergency care. We need to understand the complexity of handover better to grasp the challenges of context and interprofessional relationships before we reach for tools and techniques to standardise part of the handover process. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
Authors: Theodore Sheehan; Marta Amengual-Gual; Alejandra Vasquez; Nicholas S Abend; Anne Anderson; Brian Appavu; Ravindra Arya; Cristina Barcia Aguilar; J Nicholas Brenton; Jessica L Carpenter; Kevin E Chapman; Justice Clark; Raquel Farias-Moeller; William D Gaillard; Marina Gaínza-Lein; Tracy A Glauser; Joshua L Goldstein; Howard P Goodkin; Réjean M Guerriero; Linda Huh; Michele Jackson; Kush Kapur; Robert Kahoud; Yi-Chen Lai; Tiffani L McDonough; Mohamad A Mikati; Lindsey A Morgan; Edward J Novotny; Adam P Ostendorf; Eric T Payne; Katrina Peariso; Juan Piantino; Latania Reece; James J Riviello; Tristan T Sands; Kumar Sannagowdara; Renee Shellhaas; Garnett Smith; Robert C Tasker; Dmitry Tchapyjnikov; Alexis A Topjian; Mark S Wainwright; Angus Wilfong; Korwyn Williams; Bo Zhang; Tobias Loddenkemper Journal: Epilepsia Date: 2021-08-21 Impact factor: 6.740
Authors: Lawrence M Gillman; Doug Martin; Paul T Engels; Peter Brindley; Sandy Widder; Cheryl French Journal: Can J Surg Date: 2016-02 Impact factor: 2.089
Authors: P Hilbert-Carius; M F Struck; V Hofer; J Hinkelbein; Th Wurmb; M Bernhard; B Hossfeld Journal: Anaesthesist Date: 2018-09-11 Impact factor: 1.041
Authors: Darren Flynn; Richard Francis; Shannon Robalino; Joanne Lally; Helen Snooks; Helen Rodgers; Graham McClelland; Gary A Ford; Christopher Price Journal: BMC Emerg Med Date: 2017-02-23
Authors: David Fitzpatrick; Michael McKenna; Edward A S Duncan; Colville Laird; Richard Lyon; Alasdair Corfield Journal: Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med Date: 2018-06-01 Impact factor: 2.953
Authors: Marijanne Engel; Annemieke van der Padt-Pruijsten; Auke M T Huijben; T Martijn Kuijper; Maria B L Leys; Annemieke Talsma; Agnes van der Heide Journal: Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) Date: 2021-10-26 Impact factor: 2.328