Change‐of‐shift nursing handoff interruptions: implications for evidence‐based practice.

Lori M. Rhudy; Maren R. Johnson; Catherine A. Krecke; Danielle S. Keigley; Sarah J. Schnell; Pamela M. Maxson; Sharon M. McGill; Karen T. Warfield

Study

Change‐of‐shift nursing handoff interruptions: implications for evidence‐based practice.

November 6, 2019

Rhudy LM, Johnson MR, Krecke CA, et al. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2019;16(5):362-370.

View more articles from the same authors.

Nursing handoffs at change of shift are critical for nurses to exchange information about patients; disruptions have been associated with adverse events. After observing 100 nurse-to-nurse handoffs and conducting four focus groups, authors identified multiple sources of disruptions including those by patients and family members, which accounted for half the interruptions outside of the nurse handoff dyad. Nurses identified some interruptions as valuable and relevant to patient care.

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