The Relationship Between The Safety Of Patients In Intensive Care Units And The Factors Influencing The Quality Of Nursing Handover Among Staff Nurses

Abstract

Background: Handover involves the transfer of health care providers' responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a patient, or groups of patients, to another clinician or nurse on a temporary or permanent basis with communication being a major factor for the transfers. Effective handover is essential for safe health care and should use in all clinical situations. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff nurses role includes maintaining the continuity of patients care around the clock. High‐quality nursing handover helps them to accomplish their role efficiently. The study aimed: To assess factors affecting quality of nursing handover among staff nurses and its relation to patients’ safety in ICUs. Method: A descriptive correlational study design was used to achiev[1]e the aim of the present study. The study was conducted at Hospital (ICUs) in Makkeh, KSA. 255 staff nurses were involved in the study. Two tools were used to collect the data. Tool I: Factors Affecting Quality of Nursing Handover in ICUs Questionnaire. Tool II: Patients’ Safety Issues in ICUs Questionnaire. Results: ICU staff nurses' highest mean percent of factors affecting nursing handover process quality were regarding relations with outgoing nurse 86.7, last handover experience 80.6 and unit safety climate 71.2. According to total ICU staff nurses’ perceptions about patients’ safety, 51.8% perceived a fair level in their work environment. 53.8% of staff nurses perceived a good level of patients’ safety issues in their supervisors' expectations and actions promoting safety. Conclusion: There was a positive correlation between total factors affecting quality of nursing handover process and patients' safety issues in ICUs. Recommendations: Hospital management need to conduct continuous updating of handover policies and strategies to ensure its efficiency to keep patients' safety. Also, ICU staff nurses require allocating enough time every shift for the handover process.