• Alicia A Bergman, Mindy E Flanagan, Patricia R Ebright, Colleen M O'Brien, and Richard M Frankel.
• Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles, North Hills, California, USA HSR&D Center for Health Information and Communication, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
• BMJ Qual Saf. 2016 Feb 1; 25 (2): 84-91.

BackgroundTools and procedures designed to improve end-of-shift handoffs through standardisation of processes and reliance on technology may miss contextually sensitive information about anticipated events that emerges during face-to-face handoff interactions. Such information, what we refer to as anticipatory management communication (AMC), is necessary to ensure timely and safe patient care, but has been little studied and understood.ObjectiveTo investigate AMC and the role it plays in nursing and medicine handoffs.Research DesignQualitative thematic analysis based on audio recordings of nurse-to-nurse, medical resident-to-resident and surgical intern-to-intern handoffs.Subjects27 nurse handoff dyads and 18 medical resident and surgical intern handoff dyads at one VA Medical Center.ResultsHeads-up information was the most frequent type of AMC across all handoff dyads (N=257; 108 resident and 149 nursing). Indirect instructions AMC was used in a little over half the resident handoff dyads, but occurred in all nursing dyads (292 instances). Direct instructions AMC occurred in roughly equal proportion across all dyads but at a modest frequency (N=45; 28 resident and 17 nursing). Direct (if/then) contingency AMC occurred in resident handoffs more frequently than in nursing handoffs (N=32; 30 resident and 2 nursing).ConclusionsThe different frequencies for types of AMC likely reflect differences in how residents and nurses work and disparate professional cultures. But, verbal communication in both groups included important information unlikely to be captured in written handoff tools or the electronic medical record, underscoring the importance of direct communication to ensure safe handoffs.Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

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