Hand-Off Communication

Hand-Off Communication

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Hand-Off Communication

Nurses need to be conversant with the policies that impact on their activities to achieve the most desired outcome. An example of a policy that has significant impact on how nurses conduct their operations is hand off communication, which is an interactive communication permitting the opportunity to ask queries between the giver, or sender of patient information, encompassing up-to-date information concerning the patient’s current situation, treatment, care, and any anticipated or recent adjustments. The chief objective of hand off communication is to give unambiguous, timely, precise, and consistent information between caregivers when a patient changes departments within the firm, when there are alterations in patient caregivers, or when the patient is moved or transferred outside the care facility.

NPSG Worksheet

Priority Problem

The problem is that some nurses fail to employ the concept of hand off communication, thereby making it hard to account for precise and reliable movement of particular patient data between caregivers, thus advancing patient safety and bettering clinical outcomes. The problem mostly happens when transferring or moving a patient within various departments at the health facility, or when shifting the patient from one organization to another, and when there is a change in caregivers (The Joint Commission 2019).

Goals

Short Term

The short term goals in this scenario is to identify hand off communication techniques that are effective, and which are likely to facilitate the transfer of patient data from one caregiver or facility to the other without experiencing significant hurdles in relaying vital communication. Achieving this short term goal will help to eradicate any confusion on patient data, and will allow the new caregiver or department to proceed with healthcare provision, without experiencing major stalemate or confusion on where to begin. Overall, improving the transmission of patient data from one party to the other without experiencing major hurdles contributes towards providing quality care to the patient.

Long Term

Equally important is to strive towards meeting the long term goals associated with hand off communication. An example of a long term objective in this case is to be conversant with all the concepts of hand off communication to achieve an outcome that yields the most appropriate results. For example, nurses hope to familiarize themselves with how to determine whether the patient progresses with medication in the most effective manner or not, and whether the team id employing the most appropriate patient-care plan. Moreover, a long term goal in this case would also be to assess the patient’s reaction to care, such as progress towards attaining the set goals and guidelines.

Interventions and Rationale

Intervention and rational 1: One of the interventions in this case would be to train nurses on how to deal with the issue and improve communication when transferring the patient from one caregiver to the other. The rationale in this case would be to identify those caregivers who really need the training, and allow them go through the process so that they are conversant with suitable ways for passing information.

Intervention and rational 2: Another intervention would be to familiarize nurses with how other facilities conduct hand off communication and allow them borrow lessons that would help them improve their practice. The rationale in this case would be to settle on facilities that have made significant progress in passing patient information from one hand to the other without much hurdle.

Intervention and rational 3: The third intervention is to assess the steps or progress the nurses have made regarding using hand off communication and making necessary adjustments. The rationale in this case would be to find out what caregivers know and what they do not know and find ways for filling the gap.

Intervention and rational 4: Intervention four would be to familiarize patients about nurses plan to use hand off communication when changing their care from one nurse or facility to the other. The rationale in this scenario would be to explain the process to patients who are conscious and are in a position to comprehend what the approach is all about.

Intervention and rational 5: The fifth intervention would be to provide an opportunity for nurses to work as a team when implementing the hand off communication plan. The rationale in this case would be to apply the concepts of team work and collaboration.

Evaluation

The most suitable evaluation criteria in this case would be to identify whether the enacted measures yield the anticipated results. For example, nurses will examine whether they are able to transfer relevant information about a patient to another caregiver without experiencing significant hurdles. However, any evident constraints will call for increased intervention until everything happens in accordance with targeted objectives.

Teaching Pamphlet

Finding Process to Improve Change

The process of focus in this scenario is hand off communication, which allows caregivers to pass patient information from one caregiver to the other. The competency that governs the topic is national patient safety goals (NPSG), which aims at improving patient safety and well-being.

Organizing Audience

The process would impact on nurses because they will be able to use reliable information about a patient that they get from other caregivers who had worked on the patient earlier on. However, the process will also impact on patients because they will not have to experience any confusion when receiving care due to conflicting information.

Clarifying Knowledge

Intervention	Rational
Training nurses on how to use hand off communication.	Identifying nurses who need the training.
Familiarizing nurses with the model.	Identifying facilities that have made significant process in using hand off communication.
Assessing the progress nurses have made in using hand off communication.	What caregivers already know and do not know about the process.
Sharing information with patients.	Explaining to patients who are able to comprehend.
Working as a team	Applying the concept of teamwork.

Uncovering Root Cause of Problem

Research reveals that hand off communication still experiences some hurdles in particular facilities because nurses lack adequate information on how the process works. Consequently, only facilities that are conversant with the process achieve the best results (Pillow 2017). However, a major challenge preventing facilities from adopting the approach is lack of sensitization on the importance of relying on the model (The Joint Commission 2019).

Starting the Process 

A health facility must take several factors into consideration when implementing the hand off communication process to achieve the desired outcome. A suitable implementation plan would be identify a suitable framework to follow from various literacy works and adhere to the plan. Another plan would be to avail all the necessary equipment and resources prior to the implementation to avoid any confusion. The process would be implemented by training the caregivers about what they need to do or follow when using hand off communication.

References

Pillow, M. (2017). Improving hand-off communication. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: Joint

            Commission Resource. ISBN-13: 978-1599400907

The Joint Commission. (2019). Provisions of care: Comprehensive accreditation manual for

            hospitals. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: The Joint Commission.