Bedside Report

Published

Hello,

I am new to posting on this forum but not new to reading all sorts of question/answers found here. I have sort of a unique question that I am just looking for any input. I have been in the nursing profession for 16 years and bedside report is nothing new to me. It varies slightly from place to place, but the overall picture is similiar. However, where I work now on a med/surg floor, it is being monitored and "policed" by a non-nursing department nor someone who has direct care of the patients. I can understand if bedside reporting was being monitored by our supervisor or manager, but a pharmacist?? Patients are disclosing their PHI to someone who will not be caring for them. I can understand if he has to visit with a patient regarding their medications, dosage, or a new medication, but to stand there and listen to the bedside report seems to be a little out of place and makes me feel that there is a HIPAA violation. It just makes me feel uneasy and was wondering if anyone else out there would feel similiar. I enjoy doing bedside reporting, and keeping my patients informed and involved in their care is extremely important to me.

Thank you for any input!! Just feel a little confused about it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In terms of your concerns about HIPAA violations and patients disclosing PHI, the pharmacists (presuming the patients are receiving medications during their hospitalization) are members of their care team. Where I work, we don't have a pharmacist present during bedside report "policing" us, but they are members of the team that participate in daily rounding on our ICU patients. Not all members of the patient care team are at the bedside providing direct patient care.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

How on earth does your pharmacist have time to do bedside rounds with you? We do one to one in the room, simultaneously with all the other nurses doing handoff to their reliefs. If the charge had to be there, or anyone else, it would take forever.

Are you sure the pharm is policing you? or are they just trying to do team rounds?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

Do they happen to be part of a multidisciplinary council or task group working on bedside report (and probably customer satisfaction scores) that got voted into or asked for the job to "monitor" bedside report.

I wouldn't be worried about HIPAA but I would be concerned that he/she may not be understanding of a nurses perspective and realities.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion