Bedside Reporting

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 .

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.

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.