The Impact of Nurse-to-Nurse Bedside Communication on Patient Satisfaction and Resources Use

Vermeir, P.

The impact of nurse - to - nurse bedside communication on patient satisfaction, and resources use.

Simone Schillemans¹, Peter Vermeir^2,7, Jolie Christophe², Tamara Leune³, Dominique Vandijck^{2,6, 7}, Geert De Smet⁴, Dirk Vogelaers^2,7and Frank Vermassen^1,5,7

1 Ghent University Hospital – Department of Thoracic Vascular Surgery– De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, BELGIUM

2 Ghent University Hospital – Department of General Internal Medicine – De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, BELGIUM

3 Ghent University Hospital – Department of Cardiology – De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, BELGIUM

4 Ghent University Hospital – Department of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases - De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, BELGIUM

5 Ghent University – Department of Sugery - De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, BELGIUM

6 Hasselt University, Department of Business Economics, Agoralaan (building D), 3590 Diepenbeek, BELGIUM

7 Ghent University – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences - De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, BELGIUM

Introduction

Ineffective communication among care professionals has been demonstrated to be associated with the occurrence of adverse events, including higher readmission rates and costs. The bedside shift handover is a unique way of nurse-to-nurse communication between shift changes. The main aim is to transfer essential patient information to ensure high quality care as well as to enhance patient satisfaction and empowerment.

Objectives

The aim of this pilot study was to assess the impact of bedside shift handovers on patient and nurse satisfaction, and costs.

Methods:

The study was performed at the department of Thoracic, Vascular and Plastic Surgery of Ghent University Hospital, a tertiary care referral centre with 1,062 beds, in Belgium. Bedside shift handovers used the SBAR (Situation Background Assessment Recommendation)- method and was organised in two parts. First, all patients were briefly discussed among staff members (i.e. nurses with morning and evening shift). Second, patients were visited by the individual nurses particularly the nurse who was responsible for a specific patient during the morning shift, provided all necessary information about this patients, bedside to the nurse responsible during the evening shift. Confidential issues were discussed outside the room; inside the room there’s a handover with the patient and essential visitors. In this way, privacy is ensured.

Design

A qualitative design including semi-structured interviews was developed of 31 patients and 26 nurses. The semi-structured interviews included questions which were validated (content and face validity) using the Delphi approach.

Results

In total, 31 patients and 26 nurses participated to the survey. Patients mention to feel safer when hearing the kind of information that is shared among nurses being responsible for them. Also nurses mention to feel safer when having seen the patient already at the beginning of their shift, as they feel themselves better and sooner involved in the care process. Participating nurses reported that this type of shift handover is perceived as a more professional way of sharing information. It was estimated that bedside shift handovers could save the hospital ward, (capacity of 31 surgical patients), about 260 hours of nurse working time annually, corresponding to an amount of $ 7,290. When extrapolating this numbers to the entire hospital this would mean a potential cost saving of about $ 241,000.

Conclusion

Bedside patient handover among nurses led to increased patient and nurse satisfaction, and potential calculated cost savings. The results of this study led to practical changes in the organisation of information transfer between nurses. Further research is, however, needed to evaluate the true impact of bedside patient handover.