Handoffs, safety culture, and practices: evidence from the hospital survey on patient safety culture

It was found that the effective handoff of information, responsibility, and accountability were necessary to positive perceptions of patient safety and a potential implication is that better patient safety can be achieved by a tight focus on improving handoffs through training and monitoring.

Abstract

In summary, staff views on the behavioral dimensions of handoffs influenced their perceptions of the hospital's level of patient safety. Given the known psychological links between perception, attitude, and behavior, a potential implication is that better patient safety can be achieved by a tight focus on improving handoffs through training and monitoring.