TITLE:
Operational Procedures Related to Clinical Handover in Reference Maternity Hospitals in Burkina Faso
AUTHORS:
Mariguetou Compaore, Felicite W. Nana, Hermann B. Lanou, Noelie W. Zoungrana, Adama Ouattara, Souleymane Sidibe, Blandine Thieba, Maxime K. Drabo
KEYWORDS:
Clinical Transmission, Operational Procedures, Standardization, Maternity, Burkina Faso
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.6,
June
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Communication between healthcare professionals is an essential dimension of the healthcare environment. Clinical handover is the term commonly used to describe the exchange of relevant patient information between healthcare professionals. However, this period of communication, exchange, and handover of instructions, which is crucial for patient care, is insufficiently observed by healthcare professionals in maternity wards. This The study aimed to assess the availability, implementation and monitoring of operational procedures related to clinical transmission in three reference maternity hospitals in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Method: It was a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted from August 7th to November 22nd, 2023 in three level III hospitals. Exhaustive sampling with consecutive recruitment was used todata collection. Epi Info software version 7.1.6 was used to analyze the information collected from respondents after the database was cleaned. The variables were described using means and proportions. Results: A total of 169 healthcare professionals participated in the study. The mean age was 41.12 with a standard deviation of 6 years with extremes of 36 and 55 years. The average seniority of respondents was 15.14 with a standard deviation of ±4.83 years. Midwifery staff comprised 73.37% of participants. According to all respondents, no guidelines, standards, procedures, or protocols for clinical handover were available in the maternity wards. No supervision or evaluation of professional practices had been conducted in the past three years. Clinical transmission practices varied from one team to another, from one department to another and from one maternity ward to another according to all the respondents. Conclusion: This study revealed a deficiency in the availability, application, and monitoring of the implementation of standards, protocols, and operational procedures in reference maternity units. These shortcomings must be taken into account in strategies and interventions to optimize clinical transmission in hospitals.