Nursing Handover using an Electronic Application for Community Nurses.

Handover from one healthcare professional is an essential component of patient care. This can be a challenge in the community setting where care occurs in the patient's home and clinicians do not have the benefit of face-to-face interactions with colleagues. The purpose of this study was to explore the nurses' perceptions of handover and their views on using an electronic application as opposed to their current email system. Nurses completed two surveys, one prior to viewing the application and the second after reviewing the application. Both surveys were analyzed by educational preparation and age to explore whether either factor influenced opinions of handover or the electronic application. Nurses reported that handover was important and standardization of reporting improved their knowledge of their patients' care plan.