Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

DNP

College

School of Nursing

Department

Not Listed

Committee Chair

Mike Frame

Committee Member

Miranda Nuzum

Committee Member

Kesheng Wang

Abstract

Background: Patient handovers from operating rooms (ORs) to intensive care units (ICUs) frequently endure communication breakdowns and poor staff satisfaction when standardized handover procedures (SHPs) are not in place. Purpose: The project’s purpose was to assess the impact of a SHP checklist on OR to surgical ICU (SICU) handover staff satisfaction and perceptions regarding the patient handover process at a Level 1-designated trauma academic hospital. Interventions: Pre- and post-project staff satisfaction surveys were conducted after four months of SHP checklist introduction and utilization. Methods: SHP checklist and survey formation were based on similar quality improvement (QI) project designs revealed during a comprehensive literature review. Surgeons, anesthesia providers, and ICU nurses were asked to complete surveys. Forty-five handovers using the developed SHP were utilized to fulfill sample size requirements. Statistical analyses were performed to compare pre- and post-implementation survey scores. Results: The project entailed 45 handovers utilizing the SHP checklist over two months in addition to 52 and 47 surveys submitted by handover staff one month before and after project execution, respectively. Each of the three services’ pre-survey and post-survey resultant mean comparisons revealed two questions with statistically significant findings. Conclusion: After implementation of a SHP checklist, SICU RNs, anesthesia providers, and surgery team members conveyed increased satisfaction with the overall handover process, patient information communicated during handovers, reduced distractions, and increased staff presence although checklist usage was inconsistent.

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