Bedside Reporting

[nightshiftnut]

We used to give verbal report to the oncoming nurse, then it changed to taped report. Now, we are going to start reporting at bedside with the oncoming nurse and discuss the patients condition, look over iv sites, dressings, make sure iv bags are ful, etc.. Anyone out there familiar with this process. I would greatly appreciate positive and negative feedback with your experience. What about HIPPA violation. Sure, I'd love for my roomate to know that I'm scheduled for a bowel resection due to cancer, or that I have frequent watery green bm's, please let them know about my stage 4 pressure ulcer while your at it, etc,etc. :imbar

[MedSurgeMess]

My hospital has the bedside report and we like it well. All private rooms, and as far as "judgement" criteria about the patient, we have printed report sheets that we can note that on, as well as whisper about prior to room entry. It has saved many complaints about "the bed was wet/soiled", the IVFs were almost empty, and other things. To me, it doesn' take any longer. And besides, if you are communicating things with your patient (PVCs, etc) then you don't have as many explanations when rounding. I like it, but luckily, at my facility they have let the nurses work with it to make it work for us.

[Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN]

We use a combination of the two reporting methods. First, we do a verbal report at the nurses' station. Next, we walk into the room to check IV lines, patient condition, and do introductions. I could not see doing the whole thing in front of the pt though. Just my .

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

We are supposed to greet the pts first, check high-risk gtts, bed alarms, then get report from the computer but it has evolved into getting a complete verbal report including history, course of stay, labs ,blood sugars, new orders, how bad a shift it was, yada yada yada. And as PPs stated you may get report from 4 different nurses while call lights are ringing, pts arriving, ED calling report and questions from ancillary staff. Once I get verbal report and the offgoing shift leaves I spend another 30 minutes looking at labs, meds, and my work list. Our shift changes are chaotic, inefficient and a really cr@ppy way to start a shift.

[Kymmi]

I work in ICU and I realize that is different than on a floor because we've only got one or two patients to get report on. We give report outside the room and then go into check drips, lines, room condition etc. We do not have the problem with families being able to hear us because our unit is closed from visitors for 1/2 hour prior to shift change to a hour after shift change in order to give us the time needed to finish up our shift, give report and then assess our patients before the visitors come back.

I would think that giving report outside the room or at the desk and then making a walking round to check the patient together quickly would be the best way to accomplish the goal. If all the things are done on a patient and the IV's arent running empty, lines arent infiltrated and drains are emptied then a quick intro at the bedside and checking those few things only take a few seconds.