A systematic review on the structured handover interventions between nurses in improving patient safety outcomes

Aim This review aimed to elucidate the effectiveness of structured handovers in improving patient outcomes in the wards. Background Studies have reported that the lack of quality handovers is one of the main causes of adverse effects. Evaluation A search over six electronic databases: MEDLINE; CINAHL; Web of Science; EMBASE; Scopus; and CENTRAL via Ovid concluded nine studies and synthesized by two independent reviewers based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement was used to guide the undertaking of this review and meta-analysis. All studies published up to February 2019 were considered in this review. Key issues This review has demonstrated that structured handovers reduced the incidences of patient complications, medication errors and general adverse events. However, the results were not statistically significant. Conclusion Current structured handover formats were effective in reducing problematic handovers such as omission of information, inaccurate information and documentation errors. Implications for Nursing Management Although there is limited high-quality and rigorous research conducted to gain a clearer understanding of the impacts on patient-related outcomes in nursing care, structured handovers remained effective in reducing the number of mistakes in information transfer.