If a nurse hands off a patient but fails to clearly indicate who holds responsibility for decisions and ongoing care, what risk is increased?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Medical errors and compromised patient safety
A hand‐off must include transfer of knowledge, responsibility and authority. Lack of clarity on who is accountable can lead to patient harm.
Practice all 20 Documentation and Hand-Off Communication questions
Keep practicing
More Documentation and Hand-Off Communication questions
- Which documentation entry would be considered unprofessional or potentially legally problematic?
- A nurse is handing off a critically ill patient. Which content is the most relevant to include?
- Why is timely documentation important in nursing practice?
- In written hand‐off documentation, using abbreviations without checking policy can lead to errors. According to best practice, the nurse sh…
- When a nurse uses the mnemonic I-PASS for hand‐offs, what does the 'S' at the end stand for in the original version?
- Which scenario reflects a best practice for bedside hand-off?