A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg In partial fulfillment the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nursing Johannesburg, 2017 / Background: Continuity of quality care and patient safety depends mainly on the effective handover. Gaps in communication might lead to omissions of vital information affecting continuity and safety of care and leading to negative consequences and sentinel events. Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the opinions of nurses regarding the effectiveness of handover practices between nurses in the Emergency Departments and Intensive Care Units in an academic hospital in Johannesburg using a handover rating tool. The recommendations for clinical practice and education were provided thereafter. Method: A descriptive quantitative cross sectional survey was used. Convenience sampling was used. A sample size of hundred and eleven handovers (n=111) was used. Data was collected using a 16 item handover evaluation tool developed by Manser et al. (2010). The handover rating tool is divided into two sections. The first section was the demographic data, the second section asks about the information transfer, shared understanding, working atmosphere, overall handover assessment and circumstances of handover. Data analysis was done by means of descriptive and non parametric statistics using graphs, frequency distributions, medians and interquartile ranges, Wilcoxon rank sum and logistic regression. Testing was done at the 0.05 level of significance. Results: A higher level of qualification and years of experience in trauma and Intensive Care Unit were significant factors related to information transfer, shared understanding and overall handover quality. Univariate ordinal model showed statistical that respondents handing over were more likely to agree with information transfer, shared understanding, working atmosphere, overall handover quality and circumstances of handover compared with those receiving. Univariate ordinal model showed statistical difference that non specialist handing over were likely to agree to overall handover quality whereas multivariate ordinal model also showed statistical difference that non specialist handing over were likely to agree with circumstances of handover. The study suggests that it is necessary for ED and ICU nurses to have an agreement on the content of the structured handover framework as different specialists have different expectations. / MT2017