Patient Safety Centre

Clinical Handover

The Australian Commission on Quality and Safety in Health Care (ACSQHC) has identified Clinical Handover as one of its top priorities. This priority is in the context of Australia taking a lead role in producing a standard operating protocol for Clincal handover as part of its participation in the World Health Organisation’s “High Fives’ initiative –prevention of patient care handover errors.

The ACSQH defines Clinical handover as the “transfer of professional responsibility and accountability for some or all aspects of care for a patient, or group of patients, to another person or professional group on a temporary or permanent basis”.

Safe health care delivery for patients depends on effective communication between care providers. To enhance good communication in Clinical Handover, Queensland Health has supported a number of strategies for consideration and implementation:

Seven (7) pilot projects implemented evidence-based interventions as individual, team and system levels. The aim of these pilots was to reduce adverse patient events caused by communication failures at handover. The final report form these pilot sites has been endorsed by the Patient Safety and Quality Board.
In 2009 the Patient Safety Centre will work with stakeholders to develop Clinical Handover strategies for QH. These strategies will include:
- Identification of QH’s current Clincal Handover status and gaps in best practice
- Identification of Queensland Health’s high risk patient information transfer interactions
- Identification of critical Clinical handover success factors
- Evidence based supporting priority Clinical handover solutios
- Proposed options for a state-wide approach
- Cost/benefit analysis of implementation
The PSC will continue to work with the ACSQH to develop and implement solutions for the prevention of patient care handover errors.

Learn more about what Patient Safety Centre is doing about Clinical Handover
Clinical Handover Report (for Qld Health Staff) Resources Contact Us

Last Updated: 15 January 2009
Last Reviewed: 15 January 2009