Exploring Information Sharing Problems in Nursing Handover: An Activity Theory Perspective

The sharing of patient handover information between individuals and teams of nurses in clinical settings is a complex process that requires consolidation and integration of information from different sources and types of artefacts. The aim of this study is to identify the most critical information-sharing problems nurses experience during handover. Handover information-sharing problems are explored using Activity theory (Engestrom, 1987) as a lens to better understand the nature of these problems. A qualitative research approach was conducted to collect data from four units in a large Saudi Arabian hospital. Findings indicate that Activity Theory is a comprehensive theory to analyse a full spectrum of socio-technical handover problems. Findings further indicate that handover information sharing problems relate mostly to: 1) incompatible handover artefacts, 2) inadequate guidelines and training to conduct handover processes, 3) insufficient and fragmented documented information to share during handover and 4) nurses’ personal style