Best of both worlds: combining evidence with local context to develop a nursing shift handover blueprint.
OBJECTIVE
Standardization of the handover process is deemed necessary to ensure continuity and safety of care. However, local context is considered of equal importance to improve the handover process. Our objective was to determine what recommendations on standardized shift handover nurses make, if we combine evidence from the literature with the local context of the nurses.


METHODS
A RAND-modified Delphi consensus process that combines evidence from systematic reviews with expert opinion of local nurses and an evaluation of the consensus process with a survey.


METHODS
One academic medical center in the Netherlands.


METHODS
Twenty nurses from surgical, medical, neurological, psychiatric, cardiology, children's and gynecology departments.


RESULTS
Four systematic reviews on nursing handover were included to compose provisional recommendations on how, what, where and the preconditions of shift handover. Nurses reached consensus on a final set of 18 recommendations for a nursing shift handover blueprint: how (1 recommendation), what (12 recommendations), where (3 recommendations) and the preconditions (2 recommendations), which were structured with the mnemonic NURSEPASS. The nurses assessed the method as an effective approach to develop a local blueprint.


CONCLUSIONS
Evidence-based consensus is a feasible method to combine evidence from the literature with local context. We anticipate that implementation of the resulting tailored blueprint for nursing shift handover will be facilitated due to the method used. Through evaluation of its effectiveness, we intend to add to the body of evidence on development and implementation of effective nursing handover, which is an essential link for continuity and safety of care.
Department of Quality Assurance and Process Innovation, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Marian
M
Smeulers
Department of Surgery, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Nursing, A msterdam School of Health Professions, Tafelbergweg 51, 1105 BC Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Hester
H
Vermeulen
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003697:Delphi Technique; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D062209:Patient Handoff / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards*
Delphi technique; consensus; continuity of patient care; handover of care; patient handoff; patient safety; quality improvement