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Aim. This paper reports a study exploring nurses’ perceptions of the shift handover and the possible reasons for reported dissatisfaction in 10 European countries. Background. The nursing handover fulfils a number of purposes and has important consequences for the continuity of patient care and nurses’ satisfaction with the quality of care they are able to provide. However, the performance and function of shift handovers in health care is a widely neglected topic in practice and research. Method. The Nurses’ Early Exit Study ( ) investigates the working conditions of nurses and variables influencing nursing retention. The data for this analysis were collected between 2002 and 2003 by self-report questionnaires in 10 European countries. Findings. The percentage of nurses dissatisfied with shift handovers ranged from 22% in England to 61% in France. In most countries the main reason for dissatisfaction with shift handovers was ‘too many disturbances’, followed by ‘lack of time’. Most countries showed similar associations of dissatisfaction with qualification level and occupational seniority, but not with position and type of shift. ‘Poor quality of leadership’ and ‘poor support from colleagues’, were strongly associated with dissatisfaction. Conclusions. In several (but not all) European countries, shift handovers may be a frequent cause for nurses’ irritation. The underlying causes appear to be of an organizational nature. The findings have implications for solutions. Further debate and research should clarify the different purposes of shift handovers and relate them to handover style and to the quality of patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the Nursing Lecture 1977, delivered on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of the Royal College of Nursing in London on November 23, 1977. The author traces the history and discusses the implications of the EEC Nursing Directives, put into the perspective of the nursing histories of the nine countries within the European Economic Community. She focuses, in particular, on the strengths of the nursing profession in the United Kingdom and argues that the Nursing Directives can lead to enhancement of nursing services and nursing education, better cooperation between health care professions and a stronger voice for the nursing profession, throughout the EEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains a comparative study on community nursing in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, carried out in the region around Maastricht, where the borders of the three countries meet. The well-known problem of comparative studies (the incomparability of concepts and data) has been solved by using the same measuring instruments in the three countries. The comparison between the countries was on three aspects: the level of care dependency of the patients, the type and number of services provided and the nurses' job interpretation and job satisfaction. During 1 week in June or September 1991, 89 community nurses made records of all their home visits and nursing activities. In total the community nurses paid 5165 home visits to provide care to 1796 patients. The results indicate that both the level of care dependency of the patients as well as the type of care provided differs between the three countries. Belgian community nurses have the highest number of patients with a high level of care dependency. Curative services like technical nursing care and domestic care are most frequently provided by the German and Belgian community nurses. Informing, educating and supporting care is most frequently provided by the Dutch community nurses. The German community nurses spend less time on administration activities. With respect to job interpretation and job satisfaction the following results were found. The Dutch community nurses mentioned in their job interpretation many more preventive tasks, whereas the German community nurses more often mentioned domestic tasks. Concerning the hygienic and technical tasks, no significant differences were found between the three countries. Finally, job satisfaction is lowest in the Netherlands. Dutch community nurses are less satisfied with the work organization and the possibilities of autonomy and professionalization than the German and Belgian community nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]