Bedside report and Handoff and impact on patient outcomes

It is not just communication but effective communication. Effective communication has been regarded as vital for the elimination of errors even in other systems such as supply chains which are also found in a health institution. Without effective communication, the life of a patient is endangered and it would be difficult if not impossible for a health institution to achieve improved patient safety. There are several methods that can be used to facilitate effective communication within a health institution including bedside report and handoff. Bedside report and handoff have some similarities in terms of benefits and affects clients in different ways within their stay in a health organization hence affecting the outcome of the patient. In some instances, it may be challenging to engage some patients actively.

Such instances include when the patient is under coma, he/she is experiencing trauma, has a head injury. The satisfaction of the patient is also increased due to the fact that he or she realizes that all nurses or medical practitioners specifically are working as one team. It is worth noting that a bedside report ensures that there would be no miscommunication (Ofori-Atta, 2015). It is as a result of this miscommunication that the process of taking care of the patient is smoothened. It is argued that patients are normally vulnerable during this process of transferring information. Although nurses are not provided with a formal training in regard to handoff, they are made responsible for whatever they exchange during the process of handoff.

Handoff takes place in almost in all kinds of health settings. However, the kinds of handoff are different from one health institution to another such as the transferring of patients from one environment to another within the health institution or the transition of responsibilities or information when the handoff is taking place in the same department. Research indicates that for the safety of the client or patient specifically to be improved, a handoff must be effective. Like the bedside report, the handoff is also significant in the fact that it gives the client an opportunity to be part of the team that is providing hi/her care – something that has been cited to play part in increasing the satisfaction of the customer.

The third effect of handoff is the fact that it ensures that time is used ineffectively. As such, higher chances are that the customer may spend less time staying within the health institution depending on his/her condition. The third effect of handoff which is also a benefit of bedside report is the fact that besides handoff gives the client or the patient specifically an avenue to ask a question regarding his/her progress. As a result, the client is always aware of what to expect because he is always given the condition regarding his health and after a specific period of time. , Buffum, M. , Blegen, M. , & Lyndon, A. Handoffs and Patient Safety.  Western Journal Of Nursing Research, 37(11), 1458-1478. , White, S.