Do you consider it helpful or not to be given a Pt’s attitude during a report?

[DesiDani]

Or the visiting family members? Do you welcome it or do you find that it prejudice the report (does that make sense?). If you feel that a patients or family demeanor is important to pass along during a report, how do you word it?

Let's say you neglect to mention that a patient makes derogatory comments to you. The family member watches EVERYTHING you do like a FBI probe notes, names, and all. Would that lack of info matter to you?

[vanessaem, BSN, RN]

I find it helpful. I don't like surprises. At least I know what I may be in for. However, not everyone's experiences with a given patient is the same. One nurse may tell me that the patient was horrible and when I get them, the person wasn't bad at all. Then again, I've been told a patient was great to deal with and no trouble at all, then when I'm taking care of them, the person is an absolute terror.

[pandaRN25]

I would expect to be alerted to behavior in a patient, not attitude. More often than not, when I hear about a patients attitude or demeanor, I have a completely different experience than the nurse that reported to me.

[NightNurse704]

I think it's important to pass on in report. It helps the oncoming nurse to plan her shift. I would certainly want to know if I had difficult patients and family members to look forward to. It doesn't have to be passed along in a judgmental way; a lot of times, the behaviors stem from fear/worry/stress which the patient and/or family are experiencing. But if you tell me difficult family members are coming to visit the patient at 5 pm, I'll know I should provide care for that patient very early in my shift. ;0)

[NightNurse704]

LOL! That is So true!

[NurseyMcNurserson]

Yes! I've been hit/kicked/spit on too many times. I'll accept all the warnings I can get.

[Tswizzle-RN]

There are definitely some things about patients and families behaviours in report I find helpful such as violent outburst, inappropriate touching sundowning etc. As well as cases with suspicious families who will record you on there phone which has happened.

[HeySis, BSN, RN]

I give phone report to the floor (from PACU) before I move the patient up there. I will report behaviors such as

Pt pulling at lines, if family is not up to the challenge will want to call in sitter.

pt has dementia and is verbally (physically) aggressive, won't follow directions.....

anything that has a safety element to it, either for patient or staff, I'll come out and say.

I don't beat around the bush for objective things... cause I already talked to the patent about it... pt pain score a 9/10 but I just waited for the fentanyl to wear off so they are breathing good on their own again, so I won't give anymore IV pain meds right now... that I've already explained to the patient so I don't care if they hear me report it.

But I am very careful about personalities....

I try really hard not to prejudice the incoming nurse while still giving them a full picture. I will not say a patient is hard, demanding, unreasonable, difficult... even if that was my perception. Because patient personalities can be way different under the effects of anesthesia, and because we maybe reacting off of each other and another nurse maybe won't have the same experience.

I also give that telephone report standing right next to the head of the pt bed (I stay at bedside the entire time my pt is with me... if I have to walk away to the other side of the room, I have to have a different RN sit with my patient). So I cannot say anything I don't want the patient to hear.

It's hard sometimes because I have had the nurse I'm giving report too ask me things I think are inappropriate and I'm sure the patient can hear them through the phone.... or I've been handing a patient back to a nurse that had them before surgery and the other nurse complained about the patient... again sometimes it's loud enough that I think the patient can hear them through the phone.

That experience has made me feel like I don't need to hear if the patient is a complainer/whiner/crybaby/mean/demanding.... those are your opinions and while they may be correct, I may have a different experience, especially if I don't go in with the preconceived notion that this is going to be hard.