Nurses’ Information Management and Use of Electronic Tools During Acute Care Handoffs

Little evidence is available about nurses’ use of electronic tools during handoffs. This qualitative study explored information management and use of electronic tools during nursing handoffs. The sample included 93 handoffs by 26 nurses on 5 medical/surgical units in 2 western hospitals with a robus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Western journal of nursing research 2012-03, Vol.34 (2), p.153-173
Main Authors: Staggers, Nancy, Clark, Lauren, Blaz, Jacquelyn W., Kapsandoy, Seraphine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute services
Adult
Attitude to Computers
Computerized medical records
Continuity of Patient Care
Electronic Health Records
Female
Forms and Records Control
Hospitals
Humans
Information management
Leaders
Male
Nurses
Nursing
Nursing Staff, Hospital
Practice Patterns, Nurses
Qualitative Research
Technology adoption
United States
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Summary:Little evidence is available about nurses’ use of electronic tools during handoffs. This qualitative study explored information management and use of electronic tools during nursing handoffs. The sample included 93 handoffs by 26 nurses on 5 medical/surgical units in 2 western hospitals with a robust electronic health record (EHR). Data collection included audiotaping handoffs, semi-structured interviews, observations, and fieldnotes. The dataset was inductively coded into 33 categories and 5 themes: good nurse expectations for handoffs, paper forms are best, information at a glance, only pertinent information please, and information tools that work. Two-thirds of the nurses abandoned use of the leadership-endorsed electronic handoff form, preferring personal paper forms. The findings suggest effective electronic solutions will require extensive contextually-based information, information integrated across EHR modules and portable, electronic support throughout shifts. This is a call to action for leaders and informaticists as they select and design future electronic tools.
ISSN:0193-9459
1552-8456
DOI:10.1177/0193945911407089