Shift-to-shift nursing handover interventions associated with improved inpatient outcomes-Falls, pressure injuries and medication administration errors: An integrative review

The aim of this integrative review was to identify which nursing handover interventions were associated with improved patient outcomes, specifically patients’ falls, pressure injuries and medication administration errors, in the hospital setting. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement was used to guide the review. A systematic search of seven electronic databases was conducted, and retrieved articles were assessed by two independent reviewers. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings of this review indicate that improvements in handover communication had a clinically important positive effect on patient outcomes. Across the studies, reductions in falls varied from 9.3 to 80%, pressure injuries from 45 to 75%, and medication errors from 11.1 to greater than 50%. This review highlights that the implementation of bedside nursing handover and the adoption of standardized handover tools to improve nursing handover communication reduce patient adverse events, specifically falls, pressure injuries, and medication errors. These findings should be considered by clinicians to inform their clinical handover practice.