Uno studio osservazionale sul bedside handover:  Effetti sulla chiarezza e sulla completezza delle consegne infermieristiche

Maria Rosa La Porta; Barbara Martelli; Ilenia Tenti

doi:10.54103/dn/28909

Authors

Maria Rosa La Porta IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna, Italy https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3262-0898
Barbara Martelli IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna, Italy https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7097-9573
Ilenia Tenti IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54103/dn/28909

Keywords:

Nursing handover, Bedside handover, Information quality, Nurses’ perception, Patient safety

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Nursing handovers represent a complex and high-risk activity essential to ensuring patient safety and continuity of care. The quality of care also depends on the accuracy and completeness of the information exchanged. The adoption of bedside handover (BHO), meaning shift handover at the patient’s bedside, promotes greater precision in the transfer of information, reducing the risk of errors and improving the overall quality of nursing care.

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to explore nurses’ perceptions of BHO, assessing whether this approach ensures greater clarity and completeness of information compared to traditional handover methods.

METHODS: An observational study was conducted in the medical units of the Ausl Romagna, Rimini area, comparing a group of nurses using BHO with those employing a traditional approach. Data were collected using an anonymous self-report questionnaire.

RESULTS: The data show significant differences: nurses using BHO report fewer interruptions and perceive the information received as more relevant and free of unnecessary details. Additionally, they report greater clarity, structure, and completeness in the handover process compared to traditional methods.

DISCUSSION: BHO proves to be effective in improving the quality of nursing communication. It reduces the risk of omissions, ensures clear and complete handovers, filters out superfluous information, and promotes better understanding of care plans. Overall, nurses positively evaluate BHO for its effectiveness in managing clinical information.

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