Effects of an specific methodology (I Pass the Baton) on quality of handoff information among Nurses: A comparative study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of applying I Pass the Baton (IPB) on the quality of handoff among nurses.

Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental study. All nurses of the internal wards of Sanandaj educational hospitals, Kurdistan Province, Iran were selected by census method and randomly assigned to intervention (n=34) and control (n=31) groups. Handoff quality was measured by self-report and observation methods. The intervention included a face-to-face training session, training on how to use the IPB, inserting the IPB chart into the patient file, training leaflet, and installing a poster in the ward. The Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) was used according to routine practice in the control group. Descriptive and inferential tests were applied to analyze the data using SPSS-16.

Results: The mean score of handoff quality was 82.61±12.77 and 107.11±7.97 before and after the intervention in the intervention group (p<0.05) and 89.00±0.34 and 85.64±19.19 before and after the intervention in the control group, respectively (p=0.91). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups after the intervention (p<0.05). Implementation of the training program and the IPB tool improved the handoff quality in terms of interaction and support, patient involvement, information quality, and efficiency.

Conclusions: The IPB has various indicators of patient participation and includes the criteria needed for patient evaluation. Therefore, it can be used to handoff a wide range of patients in the internal ward.

Keywords: I Pass the Baton; I Pass the Baton (pasar el testigo); Mejora de la calidad; Nursing handoff; Quality improvement; SBAR; Traspaso de información enfermera.