The healthcare system is undergoing rapid change, and despite technological advancements, the workload of healthcare professionals is increasing, thereby raising the risk of medical errors.
These accidents are partly due to communication breakdowns and failures in information sharing.*
In this context, it is necessary to implement strategies that enable healthcare professionals to provide reliable care and ensure patient safety.
Securing Information Sharing
Sharing refers to all the methods used to exchange information among members of a healthcare team to ensure continuity of care. It involves facilitating the flow of information and acting as an intermediary.
Whether oral or written, communication between different healthcare professionals is essential and indispensable in patient care, particularly in terms of safety and quality. Moreover, communication gaps have been highlighted in several surveys, especially the national ENEIS surveys. This is why inter-team communication is a crucial issue. It ensures that all team members have a thorough understanding of their patients and facilitates the prioritization of care within healthcare facilities. Communication can also serve as a focal point for improving communication and teamwork within healthcare facilities. To succeed in this endeavor and achieve an effective level of communication, healthcare teams must dedicate time to training on this subject and ideally foster team reflection on innovative training methods. Using the SAED tool for effective handovers src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61f1c5bbc327ec3679e7457c/67b5c3cd89de3e0925c658c2_6232e789517e5e557c424453_Screenshot%2520d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581%25202022-03-16%2520a%25CC%2580%252011.00.16.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy">
With the primary goal of ensuring patient safety and promoting teamwork, the HAS (French National Authority for Health) is highlighting a tool that can facilitate communication among healthcare professionals.*
This communication tool is known as the SAED tool, which stands for "Situation, Antécédents, Évaluation, Demande" (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), the French adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon tool S.B.A.R. (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation). It is a tool that enables healthcare professionals to structure their verbal communication with other professionals. This process consists of several standardized steps that help caregivers anticipate the information needed to ensure high-quality communication among those involved regarding a patient’s care. The objective? To prevent adverse events resulting from misunderstandings during handoffs, facilitate clear and concise communication, and avoid oversights.
SafeTeam Academy and Handovers?
Through its innovative training programs, SafeTeam Academy aims to support healthcare professionals and provide them with the tools they need to deliver reliable care.
Following the checklist, the founders of SafeTeam Academy prioritized working on handoffs and thus developed their second and third modules on this topic.
Their second module simulates a handover in the post-anesthesia care unit and is intended for healthcare professionals working in these settings (registered nurses, nurse anesthetists, and anesthesiologists). The third module focuses more on handovers within medical or surgical wards and also addresses the issue of medication administration. In these modules, healthcare professionals explore several key areas: best practices to implement, methods for sharing information, strategies for preventing medication errors, and managing task interruptions. If you too would like to contribute to improving the reliability of care within your facilities, choose SafeTeam Academy training and contact us to learn more at: contact@safeteam.academy. *Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare releases targeted solutions tool for handoff communications. Jt Comm Perspect Jt Comm Accreditation Health Organ 2012;32:1, 3.
