Introduction

When you need to transfer care of a patient to another clinician, CAREFUL's handover feature allows you to send a request that transfers both patient responsibility and all outstanding actions to your colleague. This ensures continuity of care during shift changes and prevents tasks from being missed during care transitions.

Before You Start

You must have responsibility for the patient you want to hand over
You cannot hand over a patient if you already have a pending handover request for them
The recipient must be a member of your organization and cannot be yourself

Steps

Sending a Handover Request

Navigate to the patient detail page for the patient you want to hand over
Click the dropdown menu button (⋮) in the patient header
Select Handover Patient from the menu
The system automatically checks if you can hand over this patient - if you already have a pending handover request, you'll see an error message with a blocked icon
In the dialog that appears, you'll see the message: "You are about to handover [Patient Name]. This will send a request to the user you select below and if they accept, responsibility along with all outstanding actions will be assigned to them"
Click in the search field that says "Start typing a name to assignee to search..."
Begin typing the name of the colleague you want to hand over to
Select the appropriate user from the autocomplete dropdown - you'll see their name, job title, and speciality
Review the selected user's details including their avatar, name, and role
Click the Send handover request button
The dialog closes and your handover request is now pending

Viewing Your Sent Requests

Click Handover requests in the main navigation
Select the Sent tab to view all pending handover requests you've sent
Each row shows the target user's profile image, patient name, and the recipient's name
If you need to cancel a request, click the Cancel button on that row

Receiving and Responding to Handover Requests

Navigate to Handover requests from the main navigation
The Received tab displays all pending handover requests sent to you
Each row shows the source user's profile image, patient name (if multiple patients: "[Name] and X more"), and the source user's name
To accept the handover, click the green Accept button with the checkmark icon
To reject the handover, click the red Reject button with the cross icon, then click again to confirm (you'll see "Click again to reject")
Once you accept or reject, the request is removed from your list and the source user is notified

Tips

All outstanding actions transfer: When you accept a handover, you become responsible for the patient AND inherit all their open actions. Review these actions promptly after accepting.
Cancel before it's too late: You can only cancel a handover request before the recipient accepts or rejects it. Once they respond, the decision is final.
Double-check the recipient: Make sure you're sending the handover to the correct person - you'll see their full details including role before confirming.
No duplicate requests: The system prevents you from sending multiple handover requests for the same patient. If you need to change the recipient, cancel the first request and create a new one.
Monitor your pending requests: Check the "Sent" tab regularly to see if your handover requests have been accepted or if they're still pending.

Take Responsibility: If a colleague doesn't have responsibility but you need them to take over immediately without a request/approval flow
Relinquish Responsibility: Remove yourself from a patient's care when multiple clinicians share responsibility
Team Handover: Hand over all your patients within a specific team at once during shift changes

Handing Over Patient Responsibility