Handoff failure
NCLEX-RN glossary · Management Of Care
Definition
A communication breakdown occurring during the transfer of client responsibility, where critical data or clinical rationale is omitted.
Handoff failure in plain English
This is a primary source of sentinel events; successful handoffs (using SBAR) ensure continuity of care and the maintenance of safety-first priorities. The main trap is omitting the 'Rationale' (clinical reasoning) in an SBAR report, which leaves the receiving nurse without the context needed to prioritize care.
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