Structured bedside handovers improve patient outcomes

Improvements in handover communication in hospital settings had a clinically important positive effect on patient outcomes, according to an integrative review in Nursing & Health Sciences. The study looked at which nursing handover interventions were associated with improved patient outcomes. The implementation of bedside nursing handovers and the adoption of standardized handover tools to improve communication reduced patient adverse events, specifically falls, pressure injuries, and medication errors. Across the studies, reductions in falls varied from 9% to 80%, pressure injuries from 45% to 75%, and medication errors from 11% to greater than 50%.