A quantitative study on personnel’s experiences with patient handovers between the operating room and the postoperative anesthesia care unit before and after the implementation of a structured communication tool

Postoperative handover of patients has been described as a complex work process challenged by interruptions, time pressure and a lack of supporting framework. The purpose of this study was to investigate involved personnel’s experiences with the quality of patient handovers between the operating room and the postoperative anesthesia care unit (PACU) before and after implementation of a structured tool for communication. The study was conducted in a hospital in South-eastern Norway. Personnel completed a questionnaire before (n=116) and after (n=90) implementation of the Identification-Situation-Assessment- Recommendations (ISBAR)- tool. Analysis included summative statistics, t-tests and generalized linear regression analysis. Statistical significance assumed at P