Bedside report/hand off

dudette10, MSN, RN · Jul 25, 2011

"A&O x 2, still rhonchorous bilaterally, +2 edema bilateral lower extremities, pulse ox 90-91% on 4L, thinking about upper her Lasix and putting in a Foley. Ativan 1mg q 4 PRN."

If I'm passing on a report, about a cellulitis...do I NEED to say more edematous? Why not say it is looking more swollen in front of the patient? The oncoming nurse understands what the heck I'm talking about.
There are times the medical jargon might be needed and I have used it..sparingly. That is when I tell the pt what it means. Why not take the fear out of medicine?

I'm not saying how I feel about it either way because I just don't know yet. A sincere question for you, tokmom: I would like you to tell me how to give Altra's report in front of the patient. Or, would that be the stuff said just outside the room?

I got a job offer from a facility that uses bedside rounds, but the one I took a job at does not. (Not because of that, though). I guess I just can't visualize how the pertinent information would be given, as I've spent the past 18 months talking like a nurse, and I can't NOT speak that way to another nurse.

BrazoriaLVN · Jul 25, 2011

At my LTC facility we are required to. Most of the residents are stable and rarely change, but we recently had an incident where a resident was found dead face down on the floor two hours after shift change. She failed to come to supper and she was found by an aide in her room. She was a full code and it turned out to be very nasty-the state was with us a long time.

BacktoBasics · Jul 26, 2011

I don’t like complete bedside reporting but I think a hybrid between the two should exist. I believe the verbal part should take part outside of the patient’s room and to include looking over orders, labs and care plans with each other. I don’t care what the nurse tells me what IVF is hanging; I want to know what the order first. It could have changed 6 hours ago and not updated. After this you both should see the patient to provide hand off and go over abnormal assessment findings. What you consider mildly distended may be grossly distended to me.

Giving report in a patient’s room is not HIPPA. If it were, nurses would all be mimes.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2011

We're starting something new... bedside report/hand off. Benefits? Anyone in here require to do the same at their facility? How do you like it???

Had to do it at a place I travel nursed at. Some days, you LOVE it, others you HATE it. The thing that decides which it will be that day: Who you are taking over for.

If you are taking over for chicken little who never stops running around in circles accomplishing nothing, you will hate it. They will put off giving report forever and ever while they pass this med late, fill out this form they forgot, get this coffee someone asked for an hour ago. You end up being behind all day because you stood around waiting for them to realize the sky is not actually falling. Then, they don't have time to do it properly and any advantages it presents you with are lost.