Medication communication between nurses and patients during nursing handovers on medical wards: A critical ethnographic study

W Liu; E Manias; M Gerdtz

Journal article

Medication communication between nurses and patients during nursing handovers on medical wards: A critical ethnographic study

W Liu, E Manias, M Gerdtz

International Journal of Nursing Studies | Published : 2012

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.02.008

Abstract

Background: Communication is central to safe medication management. Handover is a routine communication forum where nurses provide details about how patients' medications are managed. Previous studies have investigated handover processes as general communication forums without specific focus on medication information exchange. The effects of social, environmental and organisational contexts on handover communication and medication safety have not been explored. Objectives: To examine dominant and submissive forms of communication and power relations surrounding medication communication among nurses, and between nurses and patients during handover. Design: A critical ethnographic approach was..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Elizabeth Manias Author

Related Projects (1)

EXAMINING ORGANISATIONAL COMPLEXITY AND CLINICAL RISK TO IMPROVE HOSPITAL PATIENTS' SAFETY

Improving communicative practices will reduce the massive rate and cost of medication errors and hospital-acquired infections. Current costs..

Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

This paper is based on a study that was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant [grant number DP0879002]. The authors would like to thank the nurses and patients who volunteered their time to participate in this study. The authors' thanks also go to the anonymous reviewers who helped to strengthen this paper.