Do you have a useful easy shift report format?

Anonymous1257 · May 25, 2015

My facility uses a "communication log" basically a standardized written format for report. I like that I can refer to it through out the day. It seems effective. The nurses typically give a brief verbal report on unusual circumstances as well.

dalgal, ASN, RN · May 25, 2015

Great--that is sort of what we currently have, but DOC wants a more detailed shift report including all intakes, transfers, coumadin patients, etc.

Anonymous1257 · May 25, 2015

Could that info not be added to a form? I work in a residential environment, not acute. Perhaps the written form simply isn't efficient for the volume of info yall need to communicate? Best of luck!

debdouc · Sep 30, 2015

I have worked in corrections for 3 months now (coolest job ever!) and am learning that giving and receiving report is an experience unique to the environment. It's different from cardiac telemetry, ICU, psych and long term care. I don't know how to do it well and am looking for a way to organize my thought process, ask questions that will be useful to me and to the next shift, and to make sure I cover all the necessary aspects of the job during my shift. We have a log that I fill in religiously and I read the previous logs as well. Turns out that's not enough. HELP, please!

OwlNation · Nov 7, 2015

We used a binder. Standard section on each pt. Baseball card holders for their pictures for joint commissions two forms of patient identification (confirming it was the pt), and other sheets that would need to go in an emergency. Like a face sheet on steroids.

I know everything is going electronic, but these methods can be incorporated electronically as well. If you need to print a full roster and a full sheet of picture identifications, you can put that in there as well in case computers are not available.

We also had a separate one for the aids, with the tracking sheet if you do that, so that they would know who was who. This helped because sometimes patients would try to tell staff the wrong name on purpose (sometimes they legit did not know). And also one for the treatment book.

Most of the stuff from Western State Hospital (their forms) are available through the intranet. most of their forms are well written and state approved, The pictures we had security take (a policy on that) so that the only electronically device that had the patients face on it was in use or locked up. And the nurses did not have to take care of it!

Everything got tossed in the hipaa bin at the end, other than documents that got filed in the chart on a daily basis such as Q 15 or Q 30 minutes.

That's what we did!

OwlNation · Nov 7, 2015

We also did just a basic print out of all names, DOB, allergies, wts, ETC, procedure or maybes such as "Jon MAYBE going to the dentist today". That was a personal one. The "24 hour report" is where a few lines about each pt during that 24" shift went and anyone could write on it.