Communication from ER to Floor RNs

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Emergency, Med/Surg, Med/Tele.

Hello All-

I'm currently working on my last class for my BSN online - YES! It's the dreaded Capstone course and I have to come up with a process improvement project for it that I can put into play at work.

I am currently working in a very large Emergency Department. We obviously admit tons of patients and that means lots of communication with the floor RNs. I think everyone who has ever worked the floor or the ER can attest that this communication is, at times, not particularly effective.

My question is...What ways do you think this communication could improve? I would like to hear from ED RNs and Floor RNs, no matter the specialty. What are some issues you see that impede communication between the two parties?

My facility currently does not use an SBAR form, but I'm considering looking at introducing one for the project. Something that could be used prior to calling report in the case that a person other than the primary needs to call report to the floor, and something that could recap pertinent information that may have been missed to the floor nurse once the patient and chart are delivered. The idea is that this new form might be less lengthy than its previous versions. Thoughts?

Thanks everyone!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
My question is...What ways do you think this communication could improve? I would like to hear from ED RNs and Floor RNs, no matter the specialty. What are some issues you see that impede communication between the two parties?

Have you searched this forum for other threads about report between the ED and the floor? There are about eleventy billion of them and most get pretty heated. Good entertainment value and all the information you could possibly want without starting another flame war on your thread.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Med/Surg, Med/Tele.

Thanks. I'll have to check that out ;)

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

Do you have electronic charting that both sides can see?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Public Health, TB.

I know SBAR is all the rage, but Team Stepps has a tool more for handoff called "I PASS the BATON".

http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/AmericanNurseToday/Archive/2014-ANT/Jan14-ANT/Issues-up-close-Jan14.pdf

The other thing that helps is more about interpersonal communication skills.It doesn't take any longer to say hello, please, thank you and good bye. But common civility goes a long way to improve team work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.
Do you have electronic charting that both sides can see?

Thats how we do it. You open the intervention on your computer and read along while they give report. If you have any questions you can ask at the time or refer back to the computer report. There is also a spot where you chart that you received the report and who from

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment