Teaching clinical handover with ISBAR

Clinical handover is one of the most critical steps in a patient’s journey and is a core skill that needs to be taught to health professional students and junior clinicians. Performed well, clinical handover should ensure that lapses in continuity of patient care, errors and harm are reduced in the hospital or community setting. Handover, however, is often poorly performed, with critical detail being omitted and irrelevant detail included. Evidence suggests that the use of a structured, standardised framework for handover, such as ISBAR, improves patient outcomes. The ISBAR (Introduction, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) framework, endorsed by the World Health Organisation, provides a standardised approach to communication which can be used in any situation. In the complex clinical environment of healthcare today, ISBAR is suited to a wide range of clinical contexts, and works best when all parties are trained in using the same framework. It is essential that healthcare leaders and professionals from across the health disciplines work together to ensure good clinical handover practices are developed and maintained. Organisations, including universities and hospitals, need to invest in the education and training of health professional students and health professionals to ensure good quality handover practice. Using ISBAR as a framework, the purpose of this paper is to highlight key elements of effective clinical handover, and to explore teaching techniques that aim to ensure the framework is embedded in practice effectively.

A critical appraisal of what organisational approaches are pivotal to improve patient safety

Background: Patient safety remains a priority for healthcare organisations globally. There remains little consensus regarding the extent of this issue and the resultant impact on both individuals and communities. Aim: Our study aims to provide healthcare organisations and decision makers with increased information regarding predictive risk factors to enhance patient safety, and develop an organisational culture of safety. Methods: This paper reviews current literature regarding patient safety and presents predictive risk factors and recommendations for healthcare organisations globally to measure and monitor patient safety. Results: Three categories of organisational factors promoting safety culture were identified – Focusing on system/culture, management support and team work and event reporting. Conclusions: This review strove to identify and discuss the predictive risk factors for patient safety and support the importance of a positive organisational culture and strong leadership in monitoring and reducing patient care errors and improving patient care in healthcare setting.

Narrative, Written Sign-Outs and Interns' and Senior Medical Students' Confidence: A Randomized, Controlled Crossover Trial

Background Failures of communication during the transfer of patient care errors. Methods We created a new format for written sign-out material, based on aviation industry practice and cognitive psychology theory, designed to improve interns' and senior medical students' communication during transfers of patient care responsibility. We carried out a randomized, blinded, crossover trial, comparing a new, narrative, written sign-out report to a usual written sign-out. Thirty-two interns and fourth-year medical students rated their confidence across various clinical tasks and answered clinical questions regarding hypothetical patients presented to them in written, new, narrative sign-out compared with the customary format. Results There was no statistical difference in confidence when interns and senior medical students received usual versus narrative sign-outs. Conclusions Although a limited measure suggested some improvement in competence, the narrative format did not improve participants' self-rated confidence during patient-care transfer.