Assessing the Effect of Training the Safe Transfer Checklist on the Quality of Intrahospital Patient Transfer: An Interventional Study

Background: Intrahospital transfer of critical patients is due to diagnostic, therapeutic objectives or hospitalization in specialized units. This transfer could prompt cardiovascular, respiratory, and physical problems for patients with critical conditions. Objectives: The present study attempts to determine the impact of training nurses in regards to the use of safe transfer checklist on the quality of in-hospital transfer of critical patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed in two hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences between July and December 2018. Khatam Hospital and Ali ebne Abitaleb Hospital were selected as the control and intervention (checklist) groups, respectively. In the control hospital, 65 cases of intrahospital transfer were evaluated by observing the performance of the transfer team, and the researcher completed the checklist. Next, in the intervention hospital, the researcher organized a workshop on using the safe transfer checklist. After a month, 65 cases of intrahospital transfer in this hospital were monitored and the safe transfer checklist was completed. Data were analyzed in SPSS 22 using chi-square test and independent t-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of patients was 43.68 years in the control group and 47.95 years in the intervention group. The majority of patients (76.9% in the control group and 61.5% in the intervention group) were male. The mean score of intrahospital transfer quality was 11.21 ± 2.84 in the control group and 16.52 ± 2.08 in the intervention group. Independent t-test showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of transfer quality (P < 0.001), with the intervention group scoring higher than the control group. Conclusions: Teaching nurses to apply the safe transfer checklist in moving critical patients inside the hospital can improve the quality of transfer, and, ultimately increase the safety of critical patients.