Literature Review on Poor Nurse-to-Nurse Handoff Communication

Literature Review
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Literature Review
           Literature review plays an important role in nursing research because it helps nurses validate their investigation and identify needs for additional research. To address the issue of poor nurse-to-nurse handoff communication, articles on standardized handoff communication protocols were identified. These articles support the PICOT question and offer valuable insight on the effectiveness of standardized handoff communication protocols in improving nurse communication and patient safety in the perioperative setting. This paper provides a review of two studies by Lane-Fall et al. (2018) and Caruso et al. (2017). Specifically, it provides a detailed comparison of the research questions and sample populations used in both studies as well as the limitations of the studies. It also provides recommendations for further research.
Comparison of Research Questions
           In both studies, the researchers did not have specific research questions. The study by Lane-Fall et al. (2018) investigated the effectiveness of a standardized postoperative handoff protocol in improving communication. The research question was whether a standardized handoff process in the OR to ICU reduces the omission of information. Similarly, the study by Caruso et al. (2017) investigated the effects of a standardized handoff protocol in improving communication without causing delays in surgeries. The research question was whether the standardized ICU to OR handoff process increases face-to-face handoff communication and improves patients’ transport readiness. 
           However, Lane-Fall et al. (2018) only had a primary objective which was to examine the effectiveness of the standardized handoff protocol in facilitating effective handoffs from the operating room (OR) to the intensive care unit (ICU). Caruso et al. (2017) had a primary and secondary objective. The primary objective was to determine the effectiveness of the standardized protocol in increasing face-to-face inter-professional handoffs and improving patient readiness for transfer to the OR for surgery. The secondary objective was to establish whether the protocol would increase the satisfaction of anesthesiologists with the handoff process without causing delays in patients’ surgery.
Comparison of Sample Populations
           In both studies, the sample population was divided into two equal groups and the first-half of the group was the pre-intervention and the second-half post-intervention.
           Caruso et al. (2017) used a smaller sample size of 26. The setting was in a 311-bed pediatric hospital and as such, the patients involved in the study were infants and children. The sample population consisted of patients transferred from the neonatal, pediatric, and cardiovascular ICUs to the OR. This sample population was used specifically for ...