Effective Nurse Communication Integral to Patient Safety

A new study in the American Journal of Nursing reaffirms that a link exists between effective nurse communication and patient safety.  In "Nursing Handoffs: A Systematic Review of the Literature," authors Lee Ann Riesenberg, Jessica Leisch and Janet Cunningham highlight the barriers to and strategies for effective handoffs.  They found that despite the negative consequences of inadequate handoffs, little research has been done to identify best practices.

“Nursing handoffs occur when shifts change two or three times daily, seven days a week, yet despite the frequency of these events, there are few evidence-based standardized procedures to ensure that communication is managed effectively,” according to Dr. Riesenberg. “Errors in communication give rise to substantial clinical morbidity and mortality and, therefore, must be addressed.”

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