Bedside Reporting starting Monday :(((

2bTraumaRN2008 · Dec 5, 2011

I agree with this question. I can't connect b.s. reporting with having to get up 1 hour earlier. Unless reporting is something new to the floor, it doesn't make sense to me. I shouldn't take an extra hour.

I'm not saying getting up earlier, I saying getting home much later, thus losing some of the whole 5 hours I get now.

2bTraumaRN2008 · Dec 5, 2011

Personally, once the economy gets better, i'll look for other jobs that is non bedside nursing related. Its jus.t too much on a busy med surg floor

I agree.

2bTraumaRN2008 · Dec 5, 2011

I must respetfully disagree with your views on bedside report. The information passed from offgoing to oncoming nurse is much clearing. First, it allows you to take care of simple pt needs while you are in the room (and if it is going to take longer your can tell the pt face to face that you will be back in a half hour). It allows the oncoming nurse to look at the setup for equipement. For example, why is this chest tube not on suction? Finally ia allows 2 nurses a chance to looks at IV gtts/PCAs.
When the unit on which I was working went to bedside report, some oncoming nurses thought it was a chance to complete their assessments while the offgoing nurse just stood there. When you are leaving, don't let this happen, and it does not last any longer that face to face report at the station.
Also, I think that time of commute for the nurses really should not play a role in how report takes place. If that was the principle concern, just to written report, give your cell phone number and leave right when you replacement walks in the door.
As for giving pt's phone numbers, not a good idea. That's why we have call bells, and people at the desk can answer them. I do believe the RN should go to the room (even to deliver a pitcher of water), however there are times when you plain old can't answer the phone (think being gowned in a C diff room).

Why do we need to check and recheck, and recheck PCA's and Heparin drips over and over again. These are already checked by 2 nurses when they are hung, bag changed, rates changed, etc. So why does the nurse I'm giving report to need to "check" it with me again when it has been checked throughout the day by 2 nurses?

2bTraumaRN2008 · Dec 5, 2011

As far as families and friends being in the rooms during report, we have to ask them to leave unless it's a room full for an actively dying pt. We're just gonna check them to make sure they are comfortable.

As far as the phones go, it is a terrible idea, and what's gonna happen is we'll just end up not answering it b/c we can see who it calling us. So, if we see it's coming from a pt's room, we'll prob. let it go or step into an isol. room to avoid taking the call. Bad idea on that requirement..I couldn't agree more, that's what the callbells are for. And we all know, if we don't get to their callbell in 1 minute, they'll be ringing that phone even though we don't have to answer a callbell in a minutes time, just saying.

Chixie · Dec 5, 2011

We do bedside hand over on my ward. To answer the question about patients interupting the handover we have a checklist which the aides go through before meals and handovers to ensure that patients are sitting up,comfortable, clean and dry and offer them the toilet.

We try to maintain confidentiality but our wards have 4-6 patients per bay so anything that is confidential is written on the hand over sheets and the offgoing nurse will highlight to the on coming nurse to the info (or we go to the end of the bay, out of the earshot of patients and discuss it then)

We are able to check the dressings/op site, flick through the charts and look at the observations, fluid balance charts and bowel charts.

Bedside cuts down on the chitchat that was happening when we had handover in the office.

amarilla, RN · Dec 5, 2011

I've responded to a thread or two about this topic in the past year of working med/surg and everyone told me to give it time, I'd learn to make it work for me, so on...

I still hate it. :mad:

On my floor, we have 7-10 patients on noc. They take 4-6 each during the dayshift. We end up giving patients to 3-4 nurses in the am, creating a bottleneck of time suck while you're walking the rooms, waiting for the next nurse to be free, fielding requests in the interim from patients being woke up, (technically, they are still yours, after all), and occasionally being nit picked to death by the oncoming, who would like you to do this or that since you are still here. We also have the issue a previous poster mentioned - that the oncoming wants to do their full assessment, dressing change, suctioning, etc while you're standing there waiting to move along to the next patient and go home. Patients you wake up for report then want to get up to the chair, be washed, walk in the hall, etc and complain when they cannot be immediately accommodated by the TWO nurses they see in the room. *sigh.

Sure, we have ground rules. It's not supposed to happen this way, but it does. Everyday. I don't get out for nearly an hour or more because of all the nonsense and I too live an hour from work. OP, you are right to be concerned and I hope it works out better for you! JME.

2bTraumaRN2008 · Dec 5, 2011

I've responded to a thread or two about this topic in the past year of working med/surg and everyone told me to give it time, I'd learn to make it work for me, so on...
I still hate it.
On my floor, we have 7-10 patients on noc. They take 4-6 each during the dayshift. We end up giving patients to 3-4 nurses in the am, creating a bottleneck of time suck while you're walking the rooms, waiting for the next nurse to be free, fielding requests in the interim from patients being woke up, (technically, they are still yours, after all), and occasionally being nit picked to death by the oncoming, who would like you to do this or that since you are still here. We also have the issue a previous poster mentioned - that the oncoming wants to do their full assessment, dressing change, suctioning, etc while you're standing there waiting to move along to the next patient and go home. Patients you wake up for report then want to get up to the chair, be washed, walk in the hall, etc and complain when they cannot be immediately accommodated by the TWO nurses they see in the room. *sigh.
Sure, we have ground rules. It's not supposed to happen this way, but it does. Everyday. I don't get out for nearly an hour or more because of all the nonsense and I too live an hour from work. OP, you are right to be concerned and I hope it works out better for you! JME.

Well, I already know if I run into a problem waiting to get report from night shift, I will do just like I do now. Go into the pt's room, introduce myself, and start my day with my FS's and assessments. I'm not gonna sit around and wait to do simple things that can be done, that I don't need someone to tell me about, etc.

And, what happens when you get that admission at 0620 that NS is trying to wrap up, you have to sit and wait for that whole process to be completed..ugh, I could go on and on and on!

RNnbakes · Dec 5, 2011

The oncoming nurse should not the doing their assessments while you are giving report. The nurse leaving should speak up and let them know that you need to leave. You should be sure to let your manager know if they keep doing this.

Most of the places I have worked at used b.s reporting, some do it better than others.

Most AAO patients don't mind being included while report is going on. It helps decrease anxiety about the day ahead and they are made aware of any test/procedures they are having.

wooh, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

I love that it's being called "B.S. reporting." :lol2:

misschiatia · Dec 5, 2011

I wonder if staff had any input into this decision. Were you given an opportunity, as a team, to participate in the change? I'll also add that I was very grateful for walking rounds one morning I had report with the offgoing night nurse. As we entered the patient room she was telling me that patient had fallen overnight but was sleeping now. Patient was not sleeping but unresponsive. Sent immediately to the emergency room, thank god. But if I did not go in at the beginning of shift, it may have been another 45 minutes while I completed "desk" report. Patient had brain bleed. Very glad for walking rounds that day.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

Why would it take an hour to give a report? You need to get people to speed things up a bit! I like bedside handovers cos the patient can clarify things while ur there but you have to take charge & not let them manipulate the conversation.

I will never, ever go back to the days where I got up at 4.45am to find a parking space close to work, & to get early handover. It nearly killed me working too many late/early shifts & I was really ill for over a month afterwards. I will not do it anymore.

You are going to wear yourself down. I couldn't get up at 3.30am, that is sick! And I don't think the money is worth it either.

Can you do agency work or find another position?

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Dec 6, 2011

I just have to respond to the comment about checking drips, etc that have already been checked by 2 other RN's....you should be doing that anyways! I can't tell you how many times we have found errors on not only drips but with our TPN ie glucose concentrations, etc.

If it is taking you past your going home time, then management and the staff need to figure it out. Like someone else said, you tend to start assigning the same assignment to the next nurse. There are times when we have an admit, have to do that, finish up what we started so the next person picks up, and give report on 3 other patients to 3 different nurses. It happens.