Description: A perioperative hand-off (PH) supports and maintains the transition of critical information and continuity of care and treatment of patients undergoing surgeries. Inadequate hand-offs of pertinent information regarding the patient often fails first that compromise patients’ safety (IOM, 2001). In multidisciplinary approach of care to a single patient in fast-paced perioperative setting, doctors and nurses have reported challenging dilemma of communication before, during, after surgery (Weisser, 2013). The greater number of clinicians involved and numerous patient transfers across the care continuum, there are barriers for effective communication which increases the risks for errors in safety, medication, and wrong-site surgery. A team of nurses from pre-op, OR, and PACU discussed regarding the potential danger of not having a standardized communication tool that will endanger the patient throughout the surgical experience (McKnight, 2002). Pre-trial survey was generated and validated to gather the perception of information needs and communication difficulties that the team encountered during perioperative hand-offs. Each department adds their portion of pertinent information to this page without redundancy. A communication tool was organized based on the responses and validated for its usage for the entire team that giving care to the patient across the perioperative care field. The tool was reviewed and revised from time to time and verify the items of concerns were listed and addressed. A time series, quasi-experimental research design will be implemented to understand if there are significant differences between before and after the implementation of the developed communication tool for the perioperative staffs. The communication tool will be tested throughout six months to one year period. This form could be also prove invaluable during any unexpected downtime if filled out correctly and completely as well as condensed report in the event that the patient status will change. This communication tool can aid clinicians involved in complex processes and multidisciplinary team interventions to improve the quality and safety of care by prompting dialogue and exchange of pertinent information of the patient during the perioperative experience (Weisser, 2013). This communication tool was not intended to change the SBAR but an aid specific for the perioperative team.
