Don’t interrupt me! development of a handoff education bundle to simulate the real world

OBJECTIVES: Ineffective nurse-to-nurse handoff communication is associated with information omissions, diagnostic errors, treatment errors, and delays. New nurses report a lack of confidence and ability in handoff communication, which may stem from inadequate training in prelicensure nursing programs. Our objective was to introduce prelicensure nursing students to a standardized, theory-based method for handoff, including behavioral strategies employed by nurses during interrupted handoff. METHODS: A handoff education bundle (HEB) was developed. Kern's six-step curriculum model was utilized to design, implement, and evaluate the handoff curriculum. RESULTS: Student feedback highlighted the importance of integrating multiple, varying distractors during learning cycles and recognition of the impact of distractors on handoff. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a HEB at the prelicensure nursing level could promote competency in handoff communication for new graduate nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE: Handoff is an international patient safety priority, as inadequate communication has been linked to adverse patient events.