Developing an Evidence-Based Nursing Handover Standard for a Multi-Site Public Hospital in Switzerland: Protocol for a Web-Based, Modified Delphi Study

Diagnostic tests recommended for the clinical assessment of patients with wrist complaints, an e-Delphi study

BACKGROUND

Evidence-based practice for history-taking and physical examination in the evaluation of wrist complaints is limited.

PURPOSE

To create a set of recommended diagnostic tests for the clinical assessment of patients with undifferentiated wrist complaints.

STUDY DESIGN

An e-Delphi study, following the recommendations on conducting and reporting Delphi studies, was performed.

METHODS

In this e-Delphi study, a national multidisciplinary panel of experts was invited to inventory diagnostic tests, based on several case scenarios, for the probability diagnosis in patients (age ≥18 years) with undifferentiated wrist complaints. Four case scenarios were constructed and presented to the expert panel members, which differed in age of the patient (35 vs 65 years), location (radial vs ulnar), and duration (6 vs 10 weeks) of the complaints. In consecutive rounds, the experts were asked to rate the importance of the inventoried diagnostic tests. Finally, experts were asked to rank recommended diagnostic tests for each case scenario.

RESULTS

Merging all results, the following diagnostic tests were recommended for all case scenarios: ask whether a trauma has occurred, ask how the complaints can be provoked, ask about the localization of the complaints, assess active ranges of motion, assess the presence of swelling, assess the difference in swelling between the left and right, assess the deformities or changes in position of the wrist, and palpate at the point of greatest pain.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first scientific study where experts clinicians recommended diagnostic tests when assessing patients with undifferentiated wrist complaints, varying in age of the patient (35 vs 65 years), location (radial vs ulnar), and duration (6 vs 10 weeks).

Quality and efficiency of a standardized e-handover system for pediatric nursing: A prospective interventional study

AIM

This study examined the effect on pediatric nursing handover quality and efficiency when a standardized e-handover system was implemented.

BACKGROUND

Handover quality is an important aspect of nursing quality management; however, handover quality among nursing staff is poor.

METHODS

A prospective interventional study was carried out in a general pediatrics ward from December 2019 to November 2020. The tools included a standardized e-handover system. The intervention strategies included workflow remodeling and employee training on oral handover using the standardized e-handover system.

RESULTS

The omission frequency of critical handover elements decreased from 47.32% to 2.94% (p < .01), among which the omission frequencies of nine out of 16 key elements significantly decreased. Integrity also showed improvement. Specifically, the integrity of five types of critical information was significantly improved, including vital signs, signs and symptoms, laboratory test results, radiologic examination results, and treatment regimen (2.00 vs. 5.00, p < .01; 3.00 vs. 5.00, p < .01; 3.00 vs. 5.00, p < .01; 5.00 vs. 5.00, p = .009; 3.00 vs. 4.00, p < .01, respectively). Information accuracy was 100%. Workflow and efficiency significantly improved, communication duration with patient/family during work hours significantly increased (24.00 vs. 56.00, p < .01), and prehandover preparation duration significantly decreased (32.00 vs. 2.50, p < .01). Nurse handover satisfaction showed improvement (56.88 ± 15.08 vs. 74.31 ± 9.22, p < .01).

CONCLUSION

The standardized e-handover system effectively improved nurse handover quality, optimized workflow, increased work efficiency, and promoted teamwork.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Standardized e-handover systems have great potential for ensuring the safety of pediatric patients and improving the quality of handover.

Development of a checklist of standard items for processing individual participant data from randomised trials for meta-analyses: Protocol for a modified e-Delphi study

Individual participant data meta-analyses enable detailed checking of data quality and more complex analyses than standard study-level synthesis of summary data based on publications. However, there is limited existing guidance on the specific systematic checks that should be undertaken to confirm and enhance data quality for individual participant data meta-analyses and how to conduct these checks. We aim to address this gap by developing a checklist of items for data quality checking and cleaning to be applied to individual participant data meta-analyses of randomised trials. This study will comprise three phases: 1) a scoping review to identify potential checklist items; 2) two e-Delphi survey rounds among an invited panel of experts followed by a consensus meeting; and 3) pilot testing and refinement of the checklist, including development of an accompanying R-markdown program to facilitate its uptake.

Newly graduate nurse perception and experience of clinical handover

BACKGROUND

Clinical handover is challenging for newly graduated nurses. Previous studies have showed that many new graduates perform handover ineffectively and unsystematically; however, our knowledge of newly graduated nurse perceptions of handover, including barriers and challenges to handover, is incomplete.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed to explore newly graduated nurse experience of clinical handover in Hong Kong public hospitals.

DESIGN

This was a descriptive phenomenological study.

SETTING

Participants were recruited from 11 public acute care hospitals in Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS

The participants were a convenience sample of 20 nurses who had graduated within the previous 12 months.

METHODS

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Three themes emerged from the data: 'significance of clinical handovers,' 'feelings of frustration about clinical handover,' and 'perceived barriers to handover.' Participants perceived clinical handover as an essential nursing practice in the provision of continuous patient care. Further, some new graduates experienced stress and anxiety in clinical handover, which severely affected their quality of life. Perceived barriers to handover included inadequate professional judgement, poor ability to synthesize the important information, and unsystematic reporting.

CONCLUSIONS

Newly graduated nurses face challenges and encounter difficulties in performing clinical handover. Handover theory and, in particular, skills training should be introduced into the undergraduate nursing curriculum, to arm students with the confidence and competence to perform appropriate clinical handover.

An Evidence-Based, Nursing Handover Standard for a Multisite Public Hospital in Switzerland: Web-Based, Modified Delphi Study

BACKGROUND

Ineffective communication procedures create openings for errors when health care professionals fail to transfer complete, consistent information. Deficient or absent clinical handovers, or failures to transfer information, responsibility, and accountability, can have severe consequences for hospitalized patients. Clinical handovers are practiced every day, in many ways, in all institutional health care settings.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to design an evidence-based, nursing handover standard for inpatients for use at shift changes or internal transfers between hospital wards.

METHODS

We carried out a modified, multiround, web-based, Delphi data collection survey of an anonymized panel sample of 264 nurse experts working at a multisite public hospital in Switzerland. Each survey round was built on responses from the previous one. The surveys ended with a focus group discussion consisting of a randomly selected panel of participants to explain why items for the evidence-based clinical nursing handover standard were selected or not selected. Items had to achieve a consensus of ≥70% for selection and inclusion.

RESULTS

The study presents the items selected by consensus for an evidence-based nursing handover standard for inpatients for use at shift changes or internal transfers. It also presents the reasons why survey items were or were not included.

CONCLUSIONS

This modified Delphi survey method enabled us to develop a consensus- and evidence-based nursing handover standard now being trialed at shift changes and the internal transfers of inpatients at our multisite public hospital in Switzerland.