please call report!

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

Ya'll-there are 2 threads on the board as I speak regarding LTC nurses neglecting to call report when transferring a resident to the ED.........makes us all look like imcompetent boobs.....Please remember to call report...Make sure the transfer info is complete-all meds with date and time of last administered dose,recent weight and vital signs and allergies ......The resident's baseline is also important.Many acute care nurses do not understand dementia residents at all so the more info we can give them the better it is for the resident(don't forget diet-swallowing problems,amb status etc).Encourage the 1st contact to meet their loved one at the ED...make them think that someone MUST be there....especially if that resident can not speak for themselves...Don't forget their history and the history of their present illness...It is not a bad idea to check them for a rectal impaction before you ship them out-and do a body check and document any rashes or pressure areas....don't forget a copy of the advance directive( a resident of mine ended up on a vent because the nurse neglected to send it and the family did not get there in time-it was ugly) I know I am not telling most of you anything you don't know-encourage your co-workers to do so...If this is a problem at your facility please try to do something about it.....Thanks all

Thanks ktwlpn... I just checked the other threads... One more thing to add. I always add or circle on our tranfer sheets weather or not I sent glasses, hearing aids or dentures! Those darned things are always getting lost. Always let them know about behaviors or communications status.

At our small community hospital ER, when we call report, the nurses are rude, saying things like 'whatever', or 'hope they dont' want to be seen right away - we're jammed (as in the case of new onset chest pain), or 'why do they want to come now?'. We send copies of med sheets, face sheet, and a page or 2 of nurses notes along with vitals norms. Oh well, nobody's perfect!

I always send a little note too on how exactly the resident takes there medications, wether it is crushed, whole, dissolved, all at once or whatever.. I find that knowing this is a big help!

Originally posted by AlixCoastRN

At our small community hospital ER, when we call report, the nurses are rude, saying things like 'whatever', or 'hope they dont' want to be seen right away - we're jammed (as in the case of new onset chest pain), or 'why do they want to come now?'. We send copies of med sheets, face sheet, and a page or 2 of nurses notes along with vitals norms. Oh well, nobody's perfect!

i am sorry that you were treated rudley by the er nurses that you hve called report to. but, from an er nurses standpoint maybe i can clear up some things.

the original poster is correct. the better detailed the report, the better prepared we can be to care for the pt. (ie; have iv stuff and blood stuff ready). oh, also, it is a really good thing to call the family BEFOR you call 911 or an ambo! (i am not talking about the families who seem to disappear off of the face of the earth, i am talking about those care workers who don't try for forget. {and forgetting is ok once in a while, we all do it but please tell the er that you forgot and you try to call the family at that point. you know the family and they will appreciate hearing it from you!})

as for the rudeness, i wonder how many residents are sent from your facility to the er and how often. alot of times er rn's can get frustrated with the facility and this does not make for a nice raport. some of these reasons do make sense. check them out:

1. the patient has been sick like this for 3 days and is being sent in at 5pm (usually one of the most busy times in the er.)

2. the pt needs a g-tube change and the er is on yellow alert (to busy to take anymore pts via 911 unless priority one) and it has needed changing for about 2 days.

3. the er is hopping and the report said that the pt has been alittle aggitated lately and is sent it to find out what is wrong. when the pt arrives, his temp rectally is 104. no tylenol was given because in report they gave the temp as 96ax.

4. the pt arrives with 4th degree bedsores all over and is covered head to toe in dried stool. smells of old urine and is in pajamas with a top and bottoms with feet!

i could go on and on. again, i am sorry for the rudeness. i have to ask, have you ever worked more than one shift in the er? if not, i invite you to try it and then see where we are coming from. i repect the job that all of you that work in those facilities do, please respect ours. thanks:kiss

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I had to put my opinion forward on this one. I worked in LTC for 3 years as an LPN - new grad RN. I now work in a level one trauma center. It does no good to be rude to the people calling report. In the area where I work - few places call report and honestly I don't mind as long as I receive adequate written info.

We must respect each other!

the origional poster is right on the money!! as an ER nurse, when a facility calls me w/ report and has all the pertinent info - i completely respect that....

i do not however respect it when i am called report and i get this.....

he is coming in for diff breathing - but no one seems to know a pulse ox...and when the po is 82% only 2L of O2 is placed....

he has a temp of 104 - last tylenol dose....what tylenol??

he fell a wk ago and has been complaining of pain...at 0300 on a sat nite....why is it an emergency all of a sudden??

a dnr b patient who is sent in because "they won't eat...."

what am i gonna do ....shove it down their throat???

like i said....when the reporting nurse/lpn has the vitals...and gives me a pertinent succinct report...i have no issues there and the heads up is greatly appreciated - it is the other stuff that causes a little rudeness in my voice...

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by athomas91

the origional poster is right on the money!! as an ER nurse, when a facility calls me w/ report and has all the pertinent info - i completely respect that....

i do not however respect it when i am called report and i get this.....

he is coming in for diff breathing - but no one seems to know a pulse ox...and when the po is 82% only 2L of O2 is placed....

>>>>>>>

he has a temp of 104 - last tylenol dose....what tylenol??

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

he fell a wk ago and has been complaining of pain...at 0300 on a sat nite....why is it an emergency all of a sudden??>>>>>>>>>> Maybe the pain suddenly got worse?maybe the doc made rounds late and it took time to contact family for permission to send the resident out and time to arrange transport>>>>>>>>>>>

a dnr b patient who is sent in because "they won't eat...."

what am i gonna do ....shove it down their throat???>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> give antibiotics if they have an infection-maybe they are not eating because they just don't feel well...remember-DNR does not mean "Do not treat">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I admit I am going out on a limb here with some of my scenarios but I just wanted to give another side of the story....

and i completely agree w/ your scenarios....that is the type of thing i would expect a good nurse would give in report.... it is when they have tylenol ordered on an order sheet but not given that i am referring to...

Had to do this the other night and was mad as Heck! Started my shift at 7:30pm (came in as a favor for 4 hrs) and after getting report (if that what you want to call it) Went to check on my resident... Went to my IVs first... Just looking at my gal I new she was bad. Cyanotic lips and fingers, extremely warm to touch, IV okay, audible wheezing without stetho, T of 102.6ax, sats of 84 on room air, coorifice rhonchi thru out. O2 at bedside and not hooked up (no order) Had to hunt for some connectors and immediatly started 02 and tylenol sup. Checked orders and chart..had tylenol prn order, no o2, last vitals 3p 101, 110, 40, 148/92. Res had 1 day IV and PO antibiotics (family unaware of change in condition, IVs and labs done) Chest xray was positive and among other things WBCs 28.2....Yep she's a full code. None of this was given in report:( After getting her somewhat stabilized and calling md and family (who was very gratefull someone took the time to let them know how sick mom was) I had to send her out to hospitlal...by this time it was 10pm.... all of this could have been dealt with earlier in shift IF the previous nurse actually listened to the CNA when she reported her vitals or even looked at the patient.

Calling to give report to the ER was not fun, but I made sure I gave a very detailed report.

Moral of the story..... sometimes when it seems like we wait until late at night to send some of these folks to the ER it isn't our fault. I can't tell you how many times I come in and find some people in such poor condition (and they might have been that bad for a week) and have to send them out or the doc finally takes action.

Just a little peek into the pt LTC nurses rant.

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Originally posted by athomas91

it is when they have tylenol ordered on an order sheet but not given that i am referring to...

I get ya-that peeves me off,too...I Honestly don't know how some of my co-workers passed their boards...Found 3 days of nitro patches on a resident this am.....I find notes taped to my desk every am-this resident needs that-the other did this....But seldom is anything actually documented in a nurse's note...I am supposed to get a psyche consult based on a note taped to my desk? Tx not done-boxes and bottles of meds sealed so you KNOW they could not have been given....argh...don't get me started-I am so glad I am off tomorrow....it was along weekend..

Ktwlpn...you hit it right on the spot with my biggest peeves... This weekend, I found a nitro patch on dated 1/9/04!!! Beside her bed was ones dated 1/3, 1/6 1/11...Says alot about housekeeping. I love the "we need a psych consult" but absolutly no nurses notes why.... I also get the taped notes at the dest thing!!

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