Clinical Handover Experience among Nurses Working At Jimma Medical Center, South Western Ethiopia, 2022

Abstract

Background: A nurse’s clinical handover is an important and complex form of communication in healthcare organizations that involve the exchange of patient-related information during shift change. Nurse-to-nurse clinical handover is frequently implemented at inpatient and emergency units, with an increased risk of information loss. Inef ective clinical handover is responsible for about 80% of the causes of serious, preventable adverse health events. However, the evidence is unknown in Ethiopia, particularly in the study setting. Objective: This study aimed to explore the clinical handover experience among nurses working in the Jimma Medical Center, South Western Ethiopia, 2022. Method: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study design was carried out from July 01, 2022, to August 31, 2022. An individual semi-structured in-depth interview was conducted with a purposively selected nine nurses working in medical, surgical, and emergency outpatient departments and five key informants. Twenty non-participatory observations were also implemented. Interview recordings and field notes were transcribed verbatim, translated, and then coded line by line with Atlas Ti.8 software. Colaizzi’s (1978) method of data analysis was used. The trustworthiness of the data was enhanced as outlined by Lincoln and Guba (1985). Results were presented with the narration of themes and quotes. Result: The study explored the clinical handover experience of nurses. Analysis of the data revealed three emerged core themes of the clinical handover experience: (i) Routine practice of the clinical handover: communication styles, location of handover, time of handover, the content of handover, patient involvement, and handover responsibility. Nurses have reported that they have ever experienced clinical handovers as inconsistent, incomplete, and not standardized across all units. (ii) Influencing factors of the clinical handover, such as healthcare system-related factors, care provider-related factors, and patient’s health status-related factors. (iii) Consequences of inef ective clinical handovers. All participants reported that inef ective clinical handover was harming the holistic quality of nursing care. Conclusion: This study found that routine clinical handover practice had a significant deficit, which was influenced by factors related to nurses, the organizational healthcare system, and the patient’s health status. Therefore, important intervention with standardization is needed to improve the clinical handover in nursing practice.