IntroductionThis assignment aims to review the concept of nursing shift transfer. The transfer of nursing care can be defined as an important moment to exchange information relevant to the continuation of the care provided to their patients (Pothier, Monteiro, Nooktlar et al. 2005). Transfer methods are varied: recorded, verbal, at the bedside or with typed sheets. In 2010, 352,104 nurses, midwives and health visitors worked in the NHS (RCN, 2011). Everyone will regularly participate in a transmission of information, in hospitals, this transmission takes place at least twice a day. In 2009/2010 there were 16,806,200 hospital admissions to NHS hospitals (IC NHS, 2011). Information about their care would have been exchanged during team changes, with the quality of each transfer ensuring relevant care. Therefore, we can see that transfers are affecting thousands of nursing staff as well as thousands of patients in hospital settings. The Health & Safety Executive (1996) stated that handover has several conditions, in particular that communication between teams must be precise and without misunderstandings. . The need to improve transfers of responsibilities is recognized internationally, as are the obstacles to overcome. Solutions must address healthcare professionals’ resistance to change, while understanding their time constraints. Additionally, issues related to staffing levels, language differences and lack of research (WHO, 2007) need to be considered. According to Prouse (1995 cited by Carayon), the cost of a transfer to a British hospice was approximately £80, (with inflation of £125 (This is Money, 2011)). Additionally, Burke (1999) suggested that using registered transfers saved £16,000 per year, which can...... middle of paper ...... 400 results when refined with quantitative or qualitative keywords. Finally, CINAHL produced the best results using a basic search with “nursing transfer,” which resulted in 23 articles. Each database requires different techniques, sometimes narrowing or opening search parameters. Date and location parameters were used. Therefore, articles were required from 2001, original research and from the UK, thus avoiding cultural discrepancies and ensuring their application to practice. Additionally, they had to be based in the hospital and preferably on a ward. The qualitative article selected was “A Qualitative Study of the Practice and Function of Team Handoff” (Kerr, 2001) and the quantitative article was “A Pilot Study to Show the Loss of Important Data in Nursing Handoff” (Pothier D., Monteiro P., Nooktlar M. et al., 2005). These will now be criticized in turn.