Improving ethics in nursing handover process in pediatric wards: an action research

 The handover process is an essential part of advanced health care. Considering ethical principles in this process by nurses is essential. This study was conducted to improve ethics in nursing handover.

Current study was done through action research over a period of 19 months. Participants were 12 nurses, 2 nurses' aid, a head-nurse, and an academic researcher as a facilitator. First, challenges of nursing handover in the context were discovered by the facilitator and participants. Then, in 2 reflective sessions action plan was designed and prioritizing of plans and empowering the participants were done. The action plan was implemented and immersion in practice was performed. At the end of the first cycle, the primary assessment was done. The second cycle started with a reflection on results and learned lessons. Also, group reflection sessions were done. Then new action plan was designed and carried out in practice. Finally, evaluation was done by the facilitator and participants. Data gathering was done through triangulation and summative content analysis was done simultaneously.

qualitative and quantitative analysis of data before the study revealed that nursing handover was not ethical, while nursing reports at the end of the second cycle were changed to a more ethical process, and judgments were not heard. The emphasis of the reports was on nursing care and the whole aspects of the children and their families. The mean of stated judgments in nursing reports compared with the chi-square test was different in all stages.

Nursing handover relates to ethical and legal issues closely and there is essential for nurses to know them. Iran is a Muslim country and according to religious principles, it is sin to backbite and label. The religious principle could provide a valuable guide about nursing ethics according to Iranian religion and culture. Hence, it is necessary to introduce nursing codes of ethics in handover according to our religion and cultural context.