Researchers from the department of anesthesia at Duke University Medical Center examined 31 papers on postoperative handovers and found five commonly supported recommendations to improve patient safety:
- Standardize the process with the use of checklists and protocols
- Complete urgent clinical tasks before information is transferred
- Have strictly patient-specific discussions during the handover
- Ensure that all team members are present
- Provide training beforehand in team communication.
More research is needed to set standards for quality patient handovers, researchers said.
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