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AMA Safe Handover Guide Will Help Keep Patients in Safe Hands

The Federal AMA today launched a new publication, Safe Handover: Safe Patients, to assist hospitals, doctors, and other health professionals improve patient safety, particularly at times when there is a transfer of responsibility for patient care.

Based on a similar guide prepared by the British Medical Association, which is highly regarded and widely used in the UK, Safe Handover: Safe Patients is the first guide of its kind to be published in Australia.

AMA President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said today that the guide would benefit everybody involved in patient care in hospitals.

"Clinical handover is all about the transfer of responsibility for the care of a patient from one medical professional or medical team to another," Dr Haikerwal said.

"Patient safety is dependent on continuity of care.

"High quality handover practices minimise the chances of medical error due to gaps in the transfer of information, and ensure that doctors are fully briefed on a patient's condition and medical status.

"Good handover also increases efficiency in healthcare through more timely investigation and diagnosis, management and discharge of patients.

"Doctors are winners, too, by being fully informed and confident about the care they are providing.

"But the responsibility for good clinical handover does not rest with individuals - the doctor or any other health professional.

"It's all about teamwork and quality hospital systems with ongoing support."

To achieve safe handover, the AMA recommends:

  • handover should be at fixed times
  • shifts should be coordinated so that each team can attend handover
  • handover should be held in an appropriate area with access to lab results, x-rays, and clinical information
  • handover should be properly supervised
  • handover must be supported by quality information systems

To view the AMA Safe Handover Guide, Safe Handover: Safe Patients , follow the link. 

Media Contacts

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