A clinical shift handoff can be considered as a three-phase process, consisting of pre-handoff, handoff communication, and post-handoff. The majority of studies on clinical handoffs focused on the handoff communication. There is limited literature on how pre-handoff and post-handoff activities are conducted. This study aims to understand the handoff practice in a public hospital in Singapore from the three-phase process’ point of view, to identify potential problems that may occur in such a setting, and to discuss potential interventions to enhance clinical shift handoffs.
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