Bedside Shift Report

[Seasoned]

In the words of Dr Phil: "How's that work'in for ya?"

• Violated any HIPAA laws lately?
  
• Patients, family members, blasted you with tangential comments / questions or issues discovered that hold you there much longer than you should stay?
  
• Sneaky off-going nurses use it as a way to get help to do some last minute nursing care?
  
• Managers refuse to acknowledge or problem solve the glitches (of which you discover there are quite a few)?
  
• Works for medical units where the patient is 98% of the time in a bed but not in a psych unit setting where the patients are usually in grouped activities together?
  
• Drawn that bedside curtain that is supposedly magically keeps the other patient in a semi-private room from hearing his roommate's business?
  
• Is the best thing since apple pie, the river-of-denial style?
  

Please, I invite you.

Weigh-in with your opinion, trials and tribulations on this thread...

[mhy12784]

Im only a rather new employee at my hospital, but the nurses there seem to hate it.

Commonly they give the real report in the hallway at the pixus, then do an abbreviated report / introduction at the bedside.

Thats not protocol, but nobody seems to care.

Cant exactly say everything in front of the patient.

[Emergent, RN]

When I was still working the floors, this was the latest and greatest solution to all that was wrong with nursing, and was mandated by the hospital. I floated all over the hospital, and one floor's manager was quite rigid in enforcing its use.

I think, for A&O pts, it should be used in combination with away from the bedside report. It is a nice way to give a visual and a friendly introduction to the oncoming nurse. It works best for more complicated pts, such as in the ICU setting, where the pt is more out of it. It should be carried out in the spirit of better communication, with recognition that there is some info that should definitely be kept out of earshot. If the pt has a roommate, that really limits what can be said.

[mhy12784]

If the pt has a roommate, that really limits what can be said.

Arent you protected under hippa law that theres an expectation that patients roomates will be exposed to some confidential info?

Otherwise all hospitals would need single rooms only

[SubSippi]

I have six patients, and I hate it. It takes way more time than is necessary. On my floor it's rare that there is anything the nurse needs to actually show is before she leaves, but if there is, then we will go see it. I could see it being helpful in the ICU, but not where I work.

Does anybody with a 5/6 patient load like bedside reporting? Has anybody seen a patient benefit from it? I would love to know, so maybe I could feel a little less irritated about having to do it!

[Emergent, RN]

Arent you protected under hippa law that theres an expectation that patients roomates will be exposed to some confidential info?

Otherwise all hospitals would need single rooms only

I don't base everything I do on the rule of law. I think, out of respect for the patient, we don't need to be revealing intimate details to a the stranger in the next bed. If I was the patient I'd be very embarrassed.

[ilikesharpthings]

I have found that I usually do a short report at the bedside which is when I'll introduce pt, do a brief history, discuss current issue and plan, check lines, wounds, drains. Then a more thorough report after leaving the bedside.

One issue we have is that our manager wants us to log in to the EMR at the bedside computer and have the chart open when doing report, which makes sense. But the dang things are so slow that often the off-going nurse is at least halfway through report, if not done, by the time you're logged on and it ends up just being a waste of time when you're trying to get through 4-5 reports in 30 mins.

[mhy12784]

I don't base everything I do on the rule of law. I think, out of respect for the patient, we don't need to be revealing intimate details to a the stranger in the next bed. If I was the patient I'd be very embarrassed.

But that happens anyway.

These people often have to go to the bathroom 3-4 feet from each other with nothing but a sheet separating them

I think bedside reporting is still dumb, just not for that reason

[eCCU]

In my experience only works great in the ICU setting. But I always found that if I give my patients and the authorized loved one at the bedside heads up that I will need about 30 minutes to give shift report to the oncoming nurse I never get interrupted.

[eCCU]

In my experience only works great in the ICU setting. But I always found that if I give my patients and the authorized loved one at the bedside heads up that I will need about 30 minutes to give shift report to the oncoming nurse I never get interrupted.

Btw private rooms only

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I think it's more of a customer service thing than a quality of care thing. I have 5 patients in private rooms and we do this. It's impossible to leave at 7:30 anymore, let me tell you that. Also, the patients ask for things like water and to have their HOB elevated when we go in, so it takes even longer.

[AJJKRN]

I personally think that now bedside report is all about customer service and raising satisfaction scores (AKA money revenue) and that the excuse that it is "increasing patient safety and involving the patient" is just smoke and mirrors as to why our employers are really making us do this with such rigidity. Initially I think best interests were at heart but now the true vested interests seem jaded...

I am all for doing a basic bedside report (meet-n-greet) with the oncoming nurse and laying eyes on the patient but if they are any kind of complicated then some of the report needs to be moved away from any extracurricular ears...patient included!

I will absolutely not reveal tests results or other info unbeknownst to the patient or known embarrassing details of the patients hospital stay just because my employer is breathing down my neck that bedside report must be done in full at the bedside NO excuses!

I believe that we are all professionals and should be allowed to use our own professional judgment to individualize each bedside report with involving the patient in their own care during shift change. But what do I know, I just spend twelve hours each shift with these patients...

Patient care is never one size fits all so why should bedside report be expected to be???