Efficacy of a Blended Learning Programme in Enhancing the Communication Skill Competence and Self-Efficacy of Nursing Students in Conducting Clinical Handovers: A Randomised Controlled Trial

A clinical handover refers to the process of transferring the relevant information and facilitating continuity of patient care from one healthcare provider to another. It is an essential nursing practice that ensures patient safety. The information transmitted during the handover must be clear, concise and systematic to facilitate the provision of continuous patient care. Ambiguous communication and unsystematically transmitted information can often impede the clarity of ideas, result in the omission of important patient information and delay medical treatment, consequently endangering the safety of patients. Nursing students and newly graduated nurses often struggle with clinical handovers due to a lack of communication skill competence and self-efficacy in performing this practice.

Blended learning programmes (BLPs) are commonly used as constructivist pedagogical approaches in nursing education. BLPs have been used successfully to teach theoretical courses and psychomotor skills in nursing education and have been proven to benefit the knowledge, self-efficacy, motivation, attitudes and perceived competence of students. However, no studies that examine the efficiency of BLPs in enhancing the communication skill competence and self-efficacy of nursing students in conducting clinical handovers have been found. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the efficacy of BLP in improving the communication skill competence and self-efficacy of nursing students in conducting clinical handovers.