HANDOVER IS Atime-honoured tradition and staff on every incoming shift must receive a report of patients’ status before commencing care. Some nurses refuse to tend to patients until after a formal handover, illustrating its perceived importance.
The skill to carry out a handover, and provide the relevant information, is not taught during nurse training, but is learnt on the ward. It is not an objective event, relaying only facts, but has a subtle and sometimes unrecognised purpose.
The content and function of handover varies significantly between clinical areas. Some handovers provide an occasion to demonstrate medical knowledge (Lally 1999, Hardey et al
2000, Payne et al 2000), exemplary tidiness
(Manias and Street 2000), or comment
The skill to carry out a handover, and provide the relevant information, is not taught during nurse training, but is learnt on the ward. It is not an objective event, relaying only facts, but has a subtle and sometimes unrecognised purpose.
The content and function of handover varies significantly between clinical areas. Some handovers provide an occasion to demonstrate medical knowledge (Lally 1999, Hardey et al
2000, Payne et al 2000), exemplary tidiness
(Manias and Street 2000), or comment