I'm wondering what is the best way to relay a report from the nursing unit to the dialysis unit regarding your patient and vice versa. Do you find a hand written report (like a transfer summary) works best for you, or do you feel a verbal/phone report works best.

I'd like some input on works in your hospital. We use computerized charting at our hospital for 99% of the patient interventions, however, we also use hand written, fill-in-the-blank transfer summaries for ICU transfers.

What works for you?

...and thanks!

just a short rant; all I want is any report from the floor before they get to me; they complain that we never phone or write report, yet it's ok for them. The other night we got a pt from the floor with a pressure of 69/40; problems breathing; she finally went to ICU from us; the floor finally got back to us with report to say that 3 hours earlier on rounds she was fine; pressure about 104/50. So we are looking at the same thing; we are thinking of a fill in the blanks form that we send to the floor pre, and they have to fill it in and return it with the pt AS WELL AS as verbal report before they leave the floor. Then at least the doctors don't think thay went sour in dialysis.