Patient handover is considered to be one of the most delicate medical procedures as well as the most
preventable cause of medical error. It takes place at primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, with specificities
at every level of healthcare. Improvement in the quality of patient handover is therefore essential for good medical
practice. Accurate and comprehensive communication between medical staff is required for patient safety and
continuous adequate healthcare. In this article, we describe recommendations for successful and efficient patient
handover and highlight communication errors during the process. Special attention is given to handover of rheumatological
patients and transition from pediatric to adult healthcare. Also, we emphasize the necessity of education.
Medical staff should be competent in sharing and exchanging relevant information when the patient transfers
to another medical care provider. Teaching communication skills has been part of undergraduate and postgraduate
curriculum in medical schools. At the University of Zagreb School of Medicine we have introduced a
longitudinal six-year course Fundamentals of Medical Skills where special attention is given to communication
skills. Nevertheless, medical specialty training still lacks educational contents specialized in patient handover and
safe patient discharge
