Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Primary Major
Nursing
Thesis Advisor
Luanne Linnard-Palmer, RN, MSN, EdD, CPN
Abstract
Background: Quality patient handoff from Emergency Medical Services to the Emergency Department is a crucial transition of care that directly impacts patient safety, medical intervention, and patient outcomes. If concise, effective communication is not achieved, critical details can be left out resulting in medical errors, delayed intervention times, and lack of identification of clinical deterioration.
Aim: This study aims to understand how paramedic to nurse handoff quality impacts a nurse’s early identification of clinical deterioration.
Proposal:
Methodology: A quasi-experimental study of mixed-method research.
Recruitment strategy: A fire department in Marin County, CA and ED nurses from the base trauma center in Marin County, CA. Patients of any age will be included. Patients excluded will be those in active cardiac arrest, pregnant patients that are actively in labor, and those that have deceased en-route to the hospital.
Measurements: Likert scales of nurse satisfaction and confidence, as well as a short open-ended questionnaire.
Analysis: Central tendency of Likert scores will conclude the efficacy of a standardized handoff tool. Qualitative questionnaires will be analyzed for patterns in feedback for conclusionary results.
Summary: Determine whether a structured handoff tool and face-to-face interaction impacts the quality of memory retention, accurate data transfer, and minimization of information gaps to help nurse’s satisfaction of information and confidence in identifying early clinical deterioration, which in turn improves patient outcomes.
Included in
Critical Care Commons, Critical Care Nursing Commons, Emergency Medicine Commons, Trauma Commons