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Build a handover template your whole team uses
A clear, consistent shift handover template for your unit, drafted with AI and agreed with your team, with no patient data involved.
When to use it
When handovers feel rushed or details get missed
Step by step
Note what your handovers need
List what your unit always needs to pass on, such as observations due, safety risks, pending results and family updates. Think in headings, not patients.
Ask for a template
Paste this into your AI assistant. You're only designing a blank template, so no patient details go in.
Prompt to copyI'm a registered nurse on a [type of ward or unit]. Design a blank shift handover template based on the SBAR format (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) that fits on one side of A4 per patient. Include sections for: [list your unit's must-haves]. Add tick boxes where possible to save writing, a short 'outstanding tasks' box with times, and a 'safety concerns' box near the top. Then give me a 60-second spoken handover order that follows the same headings.Test it on a few shifts
Print some copies and ask colleagues to try them, then note what's missing or never used.
Get it agreed
Share the improved version with your ward manager so it fits your trust's documentation policy before it becomes the standard.
What you get
S: Bed [ ] Name [ ] Reason for admission [ ]. Safety: falls risk [ ] allergies [ ]. B: relevant history [ ]. A: obs due at [ ], pain score [ ]. R: outstanding tasks [ ] by [time], family to call [ ].
Tips
- Fill the template in your approved electronic record or on paper, never in a public AI tool.
- Keep it to one page; long templates get skipped on busy shifts.