If you have ever watched a relay race you know the importance of a good handoff. When the handoff is poor, teams rarely still win the race. While a poor handoff doesn’t signal the loss of the race for healthcare teams, it does put residents at risk. Too often at shift change and during care transitions, teams are in a rush. This can leave the handoff lacking important information. Handoffs are a tool to provide continuity in care despite the change in caregivers. This continuity cannot happen if clear and relevant information isn’t shared. Standardizing this process is the best way to ensure good handoffs.
TeamSTEPPS® materials suggest all handoffs include the following
- Transfer of responsibility and accountability
- Clarity of information
- Verbal communication – Handoffs are verbal to ensure information is received and there is an opportunity for clarification.
- Acknowledgement by Receiver
- Opportunity to review- This allows for reviewing and rethinking situations with fresh eyes and collective minds.
TeamSTEPPS® provides a handoff model called I PASS the BATON. More details about what the method includes are available in the infographic. I PASS the BATON isn’t the only standardized handoff method. Others include I PASS, SHARQ, ANTICIpate and HAND-IT. Your organization will need to determine which approach best meets needs. The individual method chosen is less important than having one.
Several different types of handoffs occur in nursing homes. While they are all handoffs, what needs to be communicated differs. For example, the information shared during shift change will be different than that shared during a handoff to the hospital, another care area or another long-term care community. Once you’ve selected a handoff method, modify it to meet the needs of each transition type.
A good relay handoff takes practice and so does a good caregiving handoff. Providing the team with a cheat sheet showing each letter of the tool and what that letter means is a good way to start. When standardized, handoffs ensure the team is sharing uniform and relevant information. This creates continuity for the elders.
Want to know more about handoffs or TeamSTEPPS®? Join us May 6th & 7th in Wichita for the final grant-supported train-the trainer workshop. To register a team visit www.leadingagekansas.org/teamstepps.
