Educational Needs Assessment in Pediatric Nursing Handoff for Nursing Students

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This descriptive research was conducted to identify educational needs in pediatric nursing handoff training to improve students' handoff skills. METHODS: Data were collected using a survey with 188 senior nursing students and 48 pediatric nursing professors and clinical nurses. The survey included items on general information as well as experiences in handoff training, necessity, training content, and items for a handoff training program in pediatric nursing. RESULTS: Of the nursing students, 30.5% reported receiving handoff training during their clinical hours. After their handoff training, the students' confidence index was only 3.78 out of 10. Significantly, 98.3% of the respondents said that pediatric handoff training is necessary. In addition, participants reported that simulation practice (26.5%) is an appropriate educational method, and the time required for handoff training should be 8.16 hrs. Admission process was placed first as the most critical circumstance for handoff (56.8%). High demands were observed for the necessity of training content for patients with respiratory problems. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show the various educational needs for developing a patient safety pediatric handoff training program to promote nursing students' skills in handoff.