Date of Conferral

5-8-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Jill Waslh

Abstract

Summary This doctor of nursing practice (DNP) staff education project focused on providing a staff education program on standardized handoff communication protocols to enhance patient safety and communication efficiency and effectiveness of information exchange at the practicum site. The practice problem is the lack of consistency regarding handoff communication, which results in miscommunication, inefficiencies, and possible preventable patient harm. Under conditions of poor handoff communication, medical errors, delays in treatment, and adverse patient outcomes are well documented. The project sought to improve the nursing staff’s knowledge of standardized handoff tools through a structured education program guided by the following practice-focused question: For healthcare providers at an outpatient clinic, what is the impact of implementing an education program on SBAR and I-PASS handoff communication, compared to no education, on staff knowledge to improve handoff communication with the healthcare team? A pretest/posttest design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the education program. Results demonstrated a significant improvement in knowledge gain with a cohort knowledge normalized gain of 0.37. The Wilcoxon signed–rank test showed a statistically significant difference between the paired test scores (p < .05). These findings show that educating staff improves their knowledge about standardized handoff communication tools. This project promotes positive social change by enhancing the communication skills of healthcare staff through standardized handoff protocols. This benefits patients by reducing errors, improving care continuity, and fostering a safer, more reliable healthcare environment.

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