2 Bedside Shift Report Impact on Patient Safety in a Hospital Setting

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Bedside Shift Report Impact on Patient Safety in a Hospital Setting

Hilary Reece

College of Nursing, University of Tennessee

NURS 472: Evidenced-Based Practice and Nursing Research

Dr. Dominique Bulgin

March 26, 2024

Bedside Shift Report Impact on Patient Safety in a Hospital Setting

In hospitalized patients, how does bedside shift reports compared to traditional nurse station shift report affect patient safety within their hospitalization.

Clinical Significance

One of the central elements of nursing is communication, which helps provide care for patients and transfer relevant knowledge. Another area where communication plays a critical role is in the transfer of responsibility for patients to a new team at the end of a shift, the “end-of-shift” or “handover report” (Sobhy et al., 2022). Bedside shift reports help improve patient safety and the quality of care provided at each unit due to the reduction of preventable medical errors (Abou Hashish et al., 2023). Bedside shift reports are critical since medical errors account for a significant amount of morbidity and mortality in the US every year (Aboush Hashish et al., 2023). 

According to Sobhy et al. (2022), many healthcare environments are very active and characterized by frequent interruptions to the care process. The lack of a structured approach to providing information and handing over responsibilities to the next shift can lead to miscommunication and negatively affect patient care. Abou Hashish et al. (2023) also report that critical care nurses view distractions and intrusions by extraneous people (including family and other health professionals) as hurting the quality and effectiveness of nursing handovers. 

There are different ways that such reporting is done, including bedside reporting, which takes place at the patient’s bedside. Bedside reporting contrasts with traditional “end-of-shift” reports that occur away from the patient, often at nursing stations (Abou Hashish et al., 2023). The designation of precise timing and location for the handover process (the bedside) is expected to reduce the opportunities for external distractions, making the handover efficient. In addition to allowing patients and their families to participate in health decisions, it also helps nurses to develop a good insight into their patient’s unique needs.

References

Abou Hashish, E. A., Asiri, A. A., & Alnajjar, Y. K. (2023). Shift handover quality in Saudi critical care units: determinants from nurses’ perspectives. BMC Nursing, 22(1), 1–14. https://doi-org.utk.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01348-z

Sobhy, A. A., El Sayed, A. A., & Zaki, L. I. (2022). The Effect of Implementing the Training Program of iSoBAR Shift Handover Report on Nurses’ Patient Handover. International Journal of Novel Research in Healthcare and Nursing, 9(1), 136-151. https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/TheEffectofImplementing-05022022-3.pdf