ArticleBMC emergency medicine2026
Trauma handover practices between ambulance clinicians, emergency department staff and trauma teams: scoping review.
Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEffective handovers between paramedics and emergency department (ED) or trauma teams are crucial for safe trauma care. However, communication challenges and system-level barriers can disrupt this process. This scoping review explores the current evidence on trauma handovers to identify key challenges, effective strategies, and areas for improvement.
methodsThis review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework and adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A systematic search of five electronic databases was conducted to identify studies focusing on trauma handovers between paramedics and emergency department staff. Fourteen studies were included, employing diverse methodologies including quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and multi-method designs. Data were charted and thematically analysed to identify overarching themes and subthemes.
resultsThree major themes were identified: (1) challenges in communication (2), strengthening handover practices, and (3) the impact of handover quality on patient outcomes. Subthemes included disruptions and distractions, inconsistent communication frameworks, barriers to collaboration, the standardisation of handover tools, and education and training initiatives. Across included studies, structured communication tools were associated with improvements in handover efficiency, fewer communication errors and omissions, and better team coordination; however, the evidence base was heterogeneous and largely observational. Nonetheless, barriers such as inconsistent adoption, insufficient formal training, and infrastructural limitations were recurrent. Notably, most studies originated from a few countries, including the United States, Canada, and Iran, leaving gaps in understanding trauma handovers in other settings.
conclusionsStandardised communication tools, targeted training, and stronger collaboration emerge as important strategies for improving trauma handovers. Future research should address gaps in training, tool adoption, and global representation, and explore context-sensitive and digital strategies to enhance handover practices. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
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