Patient handoff from the perspective of nursing teams in hemodialysis units.

OBJECTIVES

to aimed to explore patient handoff practices among nursing teams in hemodialysis clinics.

METHODS

this study was conducted from April to June 2022, in six hemodialysis clinics in five health regions in Ceará, Brazil. The study involved 44 in-depth individual interviews with nursing professionals. Interviews occurred from April to June 2022 and were recorded for subsequent transcription.

RESULTS

four themes emerged from the data analysis: Information communicated during patient handoff; Failures in patient handoff; Communication-enabling technologies; and Nursing team's perceptions on patient handoff.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: the findings indicate that the patient handoff practices in hemodialysis clinics lack standardization and require improved communication among the nursing team. The lack of uniformity in information transmitted during shift handoffs poses a potential risk to patient safety and requires attention to enhance communication protocols.