Capstone Project Change Proposal: Nurse Handoff Communication

Capstone Project Change Proposal
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Capstone Project Change Proposal
Background
Effective delivery of care is highly dependent on effective communication, especially during the transition of care. Nurse handoff communication plays a crucial role in the perioperative setting, encompassing preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases. In the absence of effective nurse handoff communication, patient face an increased risk of harm due to delayed surgeries and increased medical errors (Caruso et al., 2017). Existing literature reveals that implementing a standardized handoff protocol improves nurse handoff communication.
Clinical Problem Statement
Poor nurse handoff communication, especially in the perioperative settings, has become a significant issue. Methangkool et al. (2019) revealed that operating rooms and other care units in the perioperative settings are more prone to handoff communication problems, affecting patient recovery and safety. A closer look at the issue shows that the current handoff protocol used at a certain organization is ineffective in enhancing nurse handoff communication. Addressing this issue is paramount because patients in the perioperative setting often transition from one care unit to another. Therefore, poor nurse handoff communication can threaten their safety, recovery, and overall health outcomes.
Purpose of the Change Proposal
The proposed change is meant to improve nurse handoff communication in the perioperative setting. Also, the proposed change, which entails implementing a standardized handoff protocol, is expected to reduce medical errors stemming from the transfer of incomplete/incorrect patient medical information during handoffs, improve nurse engagement throughout the handoff process, and improve patient recovery and outcomes.
PICOT Question
In the perioperative setting (P), what is the impact of a standardized handoff protocol (I) among perioperative nurses compared to the current handoff (C) on nurse communication and patient safety (O) within six weeks (T)?
Literature Search Strategy Employed
Once the research topic and key concepts were identified, a literature search strategy was devised. It involved identifying some of the key terms and words as well as their synonyms. The key terms searched were nurse handoff OR nurse handover process, standardized OR structured handoff protocol, perioperative OR postoperative settings, standardized handoff protocol AND perioperative settings, standardized handoff protocol AND patient outcome, and nurse communication. Boolean operators "AND" and "OR" were used to ensure that the identified key terms were included in the results. Several databases were utilized during the development of the capstone project. They have CINAHL, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Finally, the most relevant articles from the search were selected for literature evaluation.
Evaluation of the Literature
First, the literature sources were evaluated to determine their credibility, reliability, and relevance to the capstone project. This was done by identifying the authors, the journals in which the articles had been published, and the date of the publication. The...