## 5 Conclusions  
In conclusion, this study found three major themes related to patients' and families' perceptions and experiences of their involvement in nursing bedside handover. The results showed that participants recognised the importance of involving patients and their families in nursing bedside handover. The findings also revealed that despite being acknowledged as best practice, the routine inclusion of patients and their families in bedside handover was often inconsistent and varied in its degree of implementation. The study identified various challenges and barriers to optimal patient and family involvement across multiple levels--organisational, staff, and patient. These included issues such as informing patients of their right to participate, the timing of handover, absence of bedside handover, lack of invitation for patient and family involvement, patient's fear of asking questions, and patient personality or health condition. To enhance patient and family involvement, targeted strategies and training programs are recommended for nursing staff to reinforce the benefits of patient and family involvement and develop skills in patient engagement and communication. Additionally, a periodic review of bedside handover procedures is necessary to determine the extent of patient and family involvement and staff adherence to handover policies and procedures. Further research into patient and family involvement in nursing bedside handover in other hospital settings is also recommended to build a more comprehensive picture of these critical domains of patient-and-family-centred care. **Supplementary Materials:** The following supporting information can be downloaded at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/nursrep15020051/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/nursrep15020051/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/nursrep15020051/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/nursrep15020051/s1)): the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) Framework checklist. **Author Contributions:** [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] significantly contributed to the concept and study design. [PERSON] and [PERSON] coordinated the project and conducted the interviews. [PERSON] was responsible for analysing the data and writing the initial draft of the manuscript. [PERSON] and [PERSON] provided significant contributions to data analysis and interpretations of the findings. [PERSON] contributed to the literature review and drafting of the manuscript. [PERSON], [PERSON]-[PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] critically revised the interpretation of the findings and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. **Funding:** This study was funded by the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, as well as the Charles Foundation for Research, Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group (SCGOPHCG), Government of Western Australia, Department of Health (MRGP21-22-08). Additional funding was also obtained from the School of Arts and Humanities, Edith Cowan University (SAH-RAS2023). **Institutional Review Board Statement:** The study was conducted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research guidelines. Furthermore, ethical approvals were rigorously obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committees of both participating hospitals (Department of Health-RGS0000004922, 9 September 2021, and Ramsay GEKO-34656 HREC 2107W, 14 May 2021), as well as Edith Cowan University (ECU-2021-02916-GHOSH, 21 September 2021). **Informed Consent Statement:** Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in this study. **Data Availability Statement:** The original contributions presented in this study are included in this article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. **Public Involvement Statement:** There was no public involvement in any aspect of this study.