What is handover?

What is handover?

• A. The transfer of the patient to another facility
• B. The transfer of patient’s medical records to hospital
• C. A verbal report given after patient discharge
• D. Transfer of pertinent information and the responsibility for patient care

Answer: (D)

Handover is the process of transferring both the responsibility for a patient’s care and the essential information about that patient from one clinician or care team to another. It’s not just moving a patient somewhere else, nor solely sharing medical records or giving a discharge summary. The key is that the new team receives accountability for ongoing care along with a complete picture of the patient: current condition, recent changes, treatments already given, the medication list and allergies, any pending tests, planned next steps, and any safety concerns. This clear transfer of information and responsibility helps ensure continuity of care and reduces the risk of errors. In practice, teams often use a structured approach (like SBAR) to cover Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation so nothing important is missed.

Handover is the process of transferring both the responsibility for a patient’s care and the essential information about that patient from one clinician or care team to another. It’s not just moving a patient somewhere else, nor solely sharing medical records or giving a discharge summary. The key is that the new team receives accountability for ongoing care along with a complete picture of the patient: current condition, recent changes, treatments already given, the medication list and allergies, any pending tests, planned next steps, and any safety concerns. This clear transfer of information and responsibility helps ensure continuity of care and reduces the risk of errors. In practice, teams often use a structured approach (like SBAR) to cover Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation so nothing important is missed.