[Patient handover from anaesthesia to postanaesthesia unit: An analysis of the current situation in three Swiss hospitals].

Patient handover from anaesthesia to postanaesthesia unit: An analysis of the current situation in three Swiss hospitals Patient handovers carry a risk of inadequate or missing communication of important information that can jeopardize patient safety. To increase patient safety, protocols for processes and contents of a structured patient handover were created. To assess the current status of patient handovers from anaesthesia staff to recovery room nurses. After a literature search an observation protocol for patient handovers according to the SBAR concept (von Dossow & Zwißler, 2016) was developed. Using this checklist, non-participant observations were conducted in three Swiss hospitals and evaluated with statistical analysis. A total of 98 observations were made. The report receiving person felt integrated into the handover and received the necessary information. Deficiencies in patient identification and a joint control of lines after surgical interventions could be identified. The subjectively rated quality of patient handover did not differ between the three hospitals (X(2)=,927, =,629) and also not according to the time of day (X(2)=3,604, =,216). There was also no difference between the subjective quality of the handover and the delivering professional group (X(3)=4,507, =,212). The subjective quality of patient handover did not differ between the three hospitals. However, the patient handover protocols need to be adapted to ensure that patient identification and a joint assessment including control of lines and drains are performed.