Introduction: Clinical hand-off is a key factor in continuity of care and the most vital means of communication between nurses.
Objective: Considering the importance of improving the safety of patients this study aims to determine the effect of using the communication model ISBAR on the performance of nurses in the clinical hand-off patients with head or neck trauma in a selected hospital in Tehran.
Material and Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted with two control and intervention groups on 78 nurses working in a selected hospital in Tehran, , during the period of 2022-2023. Nurses were randomly assigned to either the test group (n=39) or the control group (n=39). Prior to the intervention, the researchers recorded the personal information and utilized a researcher-made checklist to assess the nurses’ performance based on the ISBAR model, which included the following five items: Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. This assessment was conducted through the researcher’s observational evaluation using the checklist. The test group underwent training on how to use the ISBAR communication model in patients with head or neck trauma, which comprised 5 face-to-face training sessions lasting 90 minutes each. The control group did not receive any intervention from the researchers. Subsequently, the researcher completed the checklist again for both groups.
Results: The initial clinical performance record scores of the nurses in the test and control groups (6.53±5.19 vs 7.11±5.60, P=0.724) showed no statistically significant difference before the intervention. However, following the intervention, the test group demonstrated a significantly higher score (96.27±4.41) compared to the control group (43.12±14.06, P<0.001). Additionally, the overall clinical performance score in the test group increased significantly after the intervention (P<0.001). In contrast, the control group’s average clinical performance post-intervention was significantly higher than
before the intervention (P=0.001).
Conclusion: The implementation of the ISBAR communication model improved nurses’ performance in Clinical Hand-off for head or neck trauma patients. Therefore, integrating communication skills training with other programs to enhance patient safety can elevate nurses’ performance and the quality of care.