Change‐of‐shift nursing handoff interruptions: implications for evidence‐based practice.
Nursing handoffs at change of shift are critical for nurses to exchange information about patients; disruptions have been associated with adverse events. After observing 100 nurse-to-nurse handoffs and conducting four focus groups, authors identified multiple sources of disruptions including those by patients and family members, which accounted for half the interruptions outside of the nurse handoff dyad. Nurses identified some interruptions as valuable and relevant to patient care.