8. Maintaining confidentiality

The handover of patient care contains confidential information relating to the patient and their family. It is essential to ensure that handover is delivered in an appropriate environment in order to avoid a breach of confidentiality.

Both nursing students and registered nurses have a duty to ensure that they consistently keep personal patient details confidential. While upholding this duty is a legal requirement made by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2015), maintaining confidentiality is important to ensure that the patient's sense of dignity is supported.

While conducting patient handover, you may find that some patient details are more sensitive than others. For example, there may be safeguarding issues relating to the patient that are not appropriate to discuss at the nurses station or at the patient's bedside where other patients and families are in close proximity. If this is the case, it is often more appropriate to discuss such information in an area that other patients and staff members cannot hear. You may decide to go into a closed, private room on the ward where only the nurse you are handing over to is able to hear this sensitive information.