The Handover: A Central Concept in Nursing Care

Abstract

With the objective of reflecting on the value of the shift change as a central moment and concept in nursing care, a literature review was conducted in Spanish, English, and Portuguese using the following descriptors: cambio de turno [shift change], informe de turno [shift report], pase de guardia [handover], traspaso de información [information exchange], and communication (restricted to nursing reports). The search was conducted using the following databases: SciELO, Ovid, Science Direct, Redalyc, Publindex, Lilacs, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier, Pubmed, and Dialnet; a total of 80 articles were reviewed, of which 50 were selected because they satisfied the inclusion criteria. The search results showed a large quantity of information on concepts, types, characteristics, and barriers, emphasizing how important it is for the discipline to understand the significance of the handover in daily practice. In conclusion, one should reflect on the importance of continued professional growth, changes, processes, and procedures; moreover, one should ensure that the shift report is not only a momentary but also a necessary opportunity to educate and perform monitoring, evaluation, and feedback to allow improvement of the groups and encourage daily practice. The literature review revealed a tendency toward qualitative studies and a lesser proportion of quantitative studies, in addition to limited investigations on best practices, their evaluation, and the efficacy of protocols and structured guides — all of which contribute to daily practice in warm, high-quality care.