Implementing a Computerized Tool for Shift Handover Report Writing

Communication failures have been identified as the main cause of safety-related incidents in patient care. Shift handover, as communication between two shifts of nurses about patients' situations, is important in the exchange of information. Automation and use of computer technology are considered key for more effective and standardized communication. The aim of the study was to assess nurses' perceptions of the use of a computerized tool for shift report writing in a teaching hospital in Spain. A comparative-descriptive study was carried out. A questionnaire was designed and distributed among nurses in hospital wards; 87 nurses (72%) completed the questionnaire. Most deemed the tool useful: it conveyed the most important information about the patient and enhanced the quality of the information, and a decrease in time needed for report writing was perceived by nurses. Surgical wards had a more positive perception than medical wards. In conclusion, nurses' perception of the use of a computerized tool for shift handover report writing was positive and acknowledged the pivotal role of computerization.