Shift handover, effective communication, and the SBAR method, in the perception of nurses in a coronary care unit

Abstract

Objective: to identify the perceptions of nurses in a coronary care unit about the relationship between shift change, effective communication, and the SBAR method. Method: descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach that sought to identify nurses' perceptions about the relationship between shift change, effective communication, and the SBAR method in the intensive care unit in the process carried out between work shifts, with indications for the construction of a structured instrument to guide and lead the shift change, with the participation of 12 nurses from a coronary intensive care unit. Data were obtained from January to July 2020 through a face-to face workshop before the pandemic, and questionnaires were subjected to thematic analysis. Results: three categories were listed: Organization of the shift change with nurses and nursing technicians; Instrumentalization of the shift change between the Nursing teams; and SBAR Method in the shift change, as a basis for the elaboration of the shift change instrument. It was evidenced that effective communication is an influencing factor in the shift change to carry out Nursing care in a continuous way, avoiding adverse events to patients. Conclusion: it is confirmed that strategies involving hospital management, such as equipping and training the team that is in the front line of the duty activity, add and enrich the systematized and humanized care.