title: Improving the postoperative handover process in the intensive care unit of a tertiary teaching hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to improve the postoperative handover process and immediate postoperative patient outcomes. The objective was to implement a postoperative handover protocol in the neurosurgical intensive care unit of a tertiary teaching hospital.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Postoperative handover is a multidisciplinary collaborative medical activity that involves information transfer, sequenced tasks and high-quality teamwork. Evidence suggests that a lack of a standardised postoperative handover protocol adversely influences care quality and potentially compromises patient safety. As there is a lack of such protocols in China, there is an identified need for improvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a pretest/post-test study with follow-up after three months.
  
  
  METHODS
  A postoperative handover protocol that included a postoperative handover checklist, a standardised handover pathway and core team member involvement was developed based on research evidence and expert opinions and was then implemented and evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following the implementation of this protocol, improved teamwork was achieved, surgeons were more frequently present at bedside handovers, the rate of transferring key messages increased, the rate of ventilator weaning within the first six hours of neurosurgical intensive care unit admission increased, and the ventilation duration per patient decreased without any clinical incident occurring in the first 24 hours after neurosurgical intensive care unit admission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following the implementation of a tailored standardised handover protocol, communication, teamwork and short-term patient outcomes were improved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This clinically based research highlights the need for policy makers and administrators to create unit-specific protocols for improving postoperative handovers.
authors.affiliation: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.|HOPE School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: HOPE School of Nursing, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003142:Communication; D003422:Critical Care; D019091:Critical Pathways; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D062209:Patient Handoff; D061214:Patient Safety; D011184:Postoperative Period; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
keywords: checklist; patient safety; postoperative handover; teamwork