Handover
Also called Handoff, Clinical handover
A handover transfers responsibility for a patient from one clinician or team to another, with the information they need to continue care.
Why it matters in a workup
Handovers happen at shift changes, transfers and discharge. Information lost at handover is a common source of error.
A written handover in a fixed structure, such as SBAR, makes outstanding tasks and pending results visible.
Put it into practice
- List outstanding tasks with owners
- Name pending results and who will chase them
- State the escalation plan
Frequently asked questions
What is most often lost at handover?
Pending results and tasks without a clear owner. Listing both explicitly is the main defense.
General guidance on clinical documentation, not advice about any individual patient and not legal advice.
Glossary
Look up related terms
- SBARSBAR is a structure for clinical communication: Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation. It is widely used for handovers and escalation.
- Discharge summaryA discharge summary tells the patient's primary care physician what happened in the hospital: diagnoses, treatment, medication changes and what needs follow-up.