Physician-to-physician handoffs remains a high-risk aspect of patient care that is attributed to various safety events, poor care coordination, and medical errors. The situation predisposes the patient to several challenges including the incomplete transfer of information and lack of standardized procedure. Ineffective patient handoff contributes to the reliance on one-way communication, which is incomplete or delayed and can cause harm to the patient. Hospitals should overcome these challenges by implementing policies that promote education regarding handoffs. The roles of the sender and the receiver should be clearly defined to ensure that communication is reliable, complete, and effective. The handoff process is complex and incorporates a range of practitioners ranging from physicians, nurses, social workers, caregivers, among others.
Additionally, patients suffering from life-threatening or acute illness is more likely to encounter a dozen handoffs compared to an outpatient. Ineffective handoff not only affects the patient but also results in family frustration and dissatisfaction hence, the increased cases of litigation. Effective handoff communication is vital for patient safety, especially during the intra-shifts. The ability of nurses to capture essential details about a patient is vital in conveying the correct picture or information during handoff. The oncoming nurses can paint a clear patient of the picture if the information provided by the previous nurse is comprehensive. However, the process is made difficult by the fact that nurses and doctors have to attend to hundreds of patients and they all require sufficient time and attention. Hence, it is increasingly challenging intra-shift nurses to grasp all the information about the patient that can affect the patient’s safety. Quality handoff between the off going and oncoming medical practitioner is important as it allows the personnel to recognize the changes in a patient status quickly as well as anticipate any risks. Handoffs methods vary, and they can be written, oral, tape-recorded, or away from the patient’s bed, however, they should all be timely, relevant, complete, and accurate. Promoting safety care through accountable patient handoffs helps the overall quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction. Coordinating multiple aspects of patient care minimizes the probability of errors as the caregivers can identify and interpret hazards. Acurate patient handoff calls for surveillance, monitoring, and detecting when the status of the patient deteriorates.