1. Bedside Handoff and Patient Satisfaction:
A Closer Look at the Evidence
Clelia Ahrens-Barbeau, B.S., Patrick Carey, B.A., Christina Ghaly-Wilson, B.A.,
Pamela Heron, B.S., Carolyn Nemerow, B.S., & Brittany Stanton, B.S.
PICO Question
Nursing Implications/SWOT
In hospitalized patients, does the use of bedside nursing handoff, versus handoff given outside of the patient room, result in improved patient satisfaction?
Strengths
• Low cost to implement
• Improves value of care
• Leader
Opportunities
• Improved patient care
• Improved patient safety
• Improved RN satisfaction
Weaknesses
• Time to implement and
follow-through
• RN perceptions regarding
time constraints
• Evidence is moderate
Threats
• Disenfranchised patients
• Continued low HCAHPS
• Poor community
perception
• Reduced market share
of new patients
Anticipated Outcomes
• Improved patient satisfaction
• Reduction in adverse events
• Improved RN satisfaction
References
Burke, W. & McLaughlin, D. (2013). Partnering for change: Nurse leaders and telemetry unit
staff work together to change the way nurses conduct shift report. American Journal of
Nursing, 113 (2): 47-51.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. (2013). Best evidence statement (BESt).
Increasing patient satisfaction by moving nursing shift report to the bedside. Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality, NGC-10063.
Maxson, et al, (2013). Bedside nurse-to-nurse handoff promotes patient safety. Medsurg
Nurse, 21(3):140-144.
Novak, K,, & Fairchild, R. (2012). Bedside reporting and SBAR: Improving patient
communications and satisfaction. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, (27)6:760-762.
Pearce, I.S., McCarry, N. (2014) Let’s Chat: Bedside reporting in the ED. Nursing, 44 (8):
15-17.
Radtke, K. (2013). Improving patient satisfaction with nursing communication using bedside
shift report. Clinical Nurse Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, 27(1):
pp. 19-25.
Rush, S., (2012). Bedside reporting: Dynamic dialogue. Nursing Management, 43(1):40-44)
Sand-Jecklin, K. and Sherman, J. (2014), A quantitative assessment of patient and nurse
outcomes of bedside nursing report implementation. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 23:
2854–2863.
Thomas L., Donohue-Porter P. (2012). Blending evidence and innovation: improving
intershift handoffs in a multi-hospital setting. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 27 (2):
116-24.
Tidwell, T., Edwards, J., Snider, E., Lindsey, C., Reed, A., Scroggins, I.,Brigance, J. (2011).
A nursing pilot study on bedside reporting to promote best practice and patient/family-
centered care. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 43(4), pp. E1-5.
SGH HCAHPS DASHBOARDBedside Handoff - Defined
• Plan of care discussed at bedside at shift change
• Invite patient/family to participate in conversation
Evidence Summary
Search Terms: bedside reporting, OR bedside shift
report, OR bedside handoff; AND patient satisfaction
Database Results: Cochrane (1), CINAHL (15),
PubMed (24), National Guidelines Council (13),
Other (3)
PRIMARY OUTCOMES
• 9 out of 10 articles report increased patient
satisfaction after implementation of bedside
handoff (plus 1 expert opinion)
• No impact of handoff tool used
SECONDARY OUTCOMES
• Success dependent upon leadership strategy in
all studies
• Improved nursing satisfaction in 4 studies
• Reduced handoff time in 5 studies
Lewin’s Process of Change