However, training and learning alone are not sufficient to improve handovers. Gaining insight into appropriate training strategies can thus provide guidelines for improving handover skills through training. 7, 10 Training in handover and patient safety is disjointed, lacks focus and there has been a paucity of research about formative or summative evaluation of present educational and training strategies.

Research has identified medical trainees’ dissatisfaction with current handover practices as a result of a lack of clear policies and ineffective training.

6 While training for handover skills is a promising approach to improve the quality of handovers, 7–9 the need for handover training in medical education has not been clearly stated and present training methods have not been validated. 1–5 The WHO lists effective handovers as one of the High 5 patient safety initiatives. Improperly conducted handovers lead to wrong treatment, delays in medical diagnosis, life-threatening adverse events, patient complaints, increased healthcare expenditure, increased hospital length of stay and a range of other effects that impact on the health system. Safe patient handovers require that accurate, reliable and relevant information is unambiguously communicated between healthcare providers.

Dx toolbox app