ABSTRACT
Research investigating patient handoff processes has inundated the safety literature, but not in nephrology nurse practice settings. Effective patient handoffs are essential for maintaining patient safety by avoiding errors related to poor information exchange. This mixed methods research study investigated the process of patient handoff across nephrology practice settings and the implications for patient safety and nursing practice. Findings indicate there are too frequently issues with handoffs of patients with chronic kidney disease who must move between many different healthcare providers and healthcare settings. Nephrology nurses reported thar the use of multiple methods for handoff communications and practice sites having differing hours of operation present challenges to practitioners, which result in information too often "falling through the cracks."