Effectiveness of an ISBAR-Based Training Program on Knowledge of Clinical Handover among Staff Nurses

Abstract

Background and

Objectives: Effective communication among healthcare professionals is a cornerstone of patient safety. Ineffective clinical handover has been reported as a leading cause of sentinel events and adverse outcomes in hospitals. Structured communication models such as ISBAR (Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation) have been recommended by WHO and other accrediting bodies to ensure safe transfer of critical information. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ISBAR programme on knowledge regarding clinical handover among staff nurses in a selected hospital at Kolhapur. Objectives: 1. To assess pre-test knowledge scores regarding clinical handover among staff nurses. 2. To evaluate the effectiveness of ISBAR programme on knowledge regarding clinical handover among staff nurses. 3. Find out a significant association between mean pre-test knowledge score Regarding clinical handover using ISBAR programme among staff nurses and their Selected socio-demographic variables.

Methods: This study adopted a quantitative evaluative approach with a pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design. Using purposive sampling, 80 staff nurses were selected. A structured knowledge questionnaire, with a reliability coefficient of r = 0.72 (split-half method), was used for data collection. Conducted at Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital, and Research Institute, Kolhapur, the pre-test was followed by the administration of the ISBAR program on the same day. The post-test was conducted on the seventh day to assess changes in knowledge.

Results: The study found that 70% of nurses had average knowledge and 23.8% had good knowledge. The mean score significantly improved from 15.03 to 20.43 after the ISBAR intervention, indicating its effectiveness in enhancing communication and handover practices. A significant association was also found between knowledge scores and gender (p = 0.02), suggesting gender may influence learning outcomes related to ISBAR.

Interpretation and Conclusion: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the ISBAR program on clinical handover among staff nurses. The impact of the program was assessed by comparing pre-test and post-test knowledge scores using a paired t-test. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in knowledge following the intervention, indicating that the ISBAR program effectively enhances communication and handover practices, thereby promoting patient safety and reducing the risk of adverse events.