Don't talk bad about your patients

[BrendaH84]

this is my day to rant :)

When I get report it is great to know, the age gender, IV site, why they are here, when they might be leaving, & if the labs are ok, etc. ok, BYE BYE, on to the next room please...

I don't need to know the patient is getting a certain pill because you think they are mean and crazy and they asked so many times so had to call the Dr. and that's the reason they are getting pill X. That's your job, suck it up. you might say "hey I know it's PRN but plz give/ or ask if he wants that sleeping pill by 8PM, he has already stated he feels he will want it." (I don't care how many times he asked you about it or how crazy you think he or she is. just state the basic facts.)

REFRAIN from the gossipy comments & your imitation of them.

Try to be a nice person, & give the facts. leave out the extra 8 minutes of what you think that patient put your through & how awful they are.

Every single patient I receive report on, is not a pain and they are not crazy. They just are ill and need tending to.

When you DO talk bad about the patients, I just think you are a total jerk.

Yes I know SOMETIMES patients are truly odd and upsetting.

[JustKeepDriving]

I work psychiatric nursing with a forensic population... some of which have heinous crimes and can be truly terrifying to work with. If the staff needs to vent, I for one welcome it am happy to provide whatever psycho-social support they need to continue being effective providers. The chart room, break room and laundry room are the "safe zones"... what happens in there stays in there. I'm all for professionalism and expect my staff to be professional with patient's on the floor regardless of their crimes and behavior. However, I'm also realistic and don't expect people to act "totally okay" with many of the situations we have to work with on a daily basis. If you need to "crap talk" a patient, use some 4 letter words, and rant for 5 minutes after (insert situation here... I've seen it all from a patient masturbating with feces to patient's biting themselves in the tongue and spitting blood on staff) to process it and be an effective provider? Please do so. My team and I will completely support that individual, never breathe a word of it outside the "safe zone" and do whatever we need to do to support a member of our team mentally cope with the environment where we work.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I don't need EVERY detail of the day, but knowing family dynamics is important to me. So is knowing patient quirks.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

Maybe I'm just weird, but I think patient/family behaviors are the most important part of report, period. I can assess the patient myself and find out where his/her access is, I can read the H&P/progress notes to figure out what brought the patient in and what's happened to the patient since admission... but if I am walking into a psychological minefield, that's not likely to be in the chart, and that is something I would really, really, really like to know about.

[BrendaH84, BSN]

i'm the O.P. , just for clarification, pertinent info about psych or family issues etc, is not what I ever meant that I didn't like.

I meant a regular man or woman comes in for a surgery or pneumonia & they have a fever, so they're cold, that sort of thing. & the report I get is , "oh ya and 4B is a fatso Queen (rolling eyes) She/He got breakfast and lunch, but HAD to ask for sugar FROM ME, like she/he needs sugar! both meals, to go with her Tea, cuz I guess the coffee they gave her wasn't good enough, then she rang her call light cuz she was cold and wanted a blanket, and then she rang her call light again cuz she was still cold, she is so NEEDY, I was slammed today, and Miss Princess totally pissed me off, she's a weirdo." and then the nurse imitates the patient's voice and laughs etc etc etc. and they have that sort of stuff to say OFTEN and it's almost as though some people think they are "cool" when they talk about the patients this way?? I don't know, but I see it ALOT, and I used to float so I saw it everywhere. I think it's immaturity?? Mean, unprofessional, whatever it is, it's not how YOU WOULD want some caregiver to talk about you. and YES people are weird, most people are, if it's our job to take care of them, it's par for the course most of the time. I tried to make my original post not too long, so maybe it seemed I thought 3 sentences were all we ever need at report. No that's not what I meant. I meant FOR THE MOST PART, if you can't say it in front of the patient cuz it's so mean spirited, maybe you don't need to say it to me.:) and..... I know you all know what I mean. cuz Y'all aint stupid

[Red Kryptonite]

Yikes. Okay I take back my post about the margaritas. What you described there is just plain unprofessional and mean.

[Guest219794]

If not for the venting, what is the point of a verbal report? In my humble opinion it is outdated, dangerous, and downright goofy. At least how it is often conducted.

In most places, all the pertinent information is easily accessible- generally with a few mouse clicks. And I can read a heck of a lot faster than you can talk. And I just don't care where the IV is- trust me, I'll find it. Since green rhymes with 18, and blue rhymes with 22, I can even figure out the gauge on my own

When I worked ICU, report could easily take 10 minutes per pt. We started using EICU with remote docs covering at night. They cover many many pts at a time, yet when I would call with a question, or a request for orders, they could make a decision very quickly.

I started looking at the information they used, and realized that we, as nurses, suck at communication.

So, you scan the chart, and I'll give you the highlights, and anything I figure isn't easily found. This will include psych/social stuff, and subtle family dynamics.

[AllieSparksRN]

I've always found this interesting and still do today: it's amazing what a difference the nurse makes in these situations.

If the patient is truly crazy, tell me that. If you just didn't get along, that's not my deal, it happens sometimes. We don't always mesh with 100% of our patients, myself included.

I love how one nurse can have a "horrid" shift with Patient ZXY and the next nurse says they are the best patient of the week.

Sometimes...it's all about perspective...and not labeling people as things...

:) Allie

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

i'm the O.P. , just for clarification, pertinent info about psych or family issues etc, is not what I ever meant that I didn't like.

I meant a regular man or woman comes in for a surgery or pneumonia & they have a fever, so they're cold, that sort of thing. & the report I get is , "oh ya and 4B is a fatso Queen (rolling eyes) She/He got breakfast and lunch, but HAD to ask for sugar FROM ME,....

I usually look at these sort of offgoing shift reporters like they are a little nutty or exaggerating. I guess the look is "skeptical". I have never had one (report) as bad as you describe. I do like to hear about family dynamics facts and stories...briefly. I like to know about missing and refused meds., side effects/adverse effects, last time narcs given, new meds., procedures done or upcoming, NPO status, surgeries...wounds, the important stuff. Unless it's someone I really trust, I don't like much subjective input...except blatantly bad behavior of the patient or family, alcoholism/detox, psych issues.

[NanikRN]

I meant a regular man or woman comes in for a surgery or pneumonia & they have a fever, so they're cold, that sort of thing. & the report I get is , "oh ya and 4B is a fatso Queen (rolling eyes) She/He got breakfast and lunch, but HAD to ask for sugar FROM ME, like she/he needs sugar! both meals, to go with her Tea, cuz I guess the coffee they gave her wasn't good enough, then she rang her call light cuz she was cold and wanted a blanket, and then she rang her call light again cuz she was still cold, she is so NEEDY, I was slammed today, and Miss Princess totally pissed me off, she's a weirdo." and then the nurse imitates the patient's voice and laughs etc etc etc. t

I have NEVER in over thirty years of nursing recieved a report like this !! Terrible

[Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN]

I hate when I get unimportant info about a patient. For example, Mr John Joe had 2u of coverage this am after his FS. (And the patient has pretty much had 2u every day for past 4 years) Would rather have "report by exception only."

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

Sometimes a patient or visitor will lash out at a nurse without any reason or provocation. After releasing their frustrations on the employee, the patient or visitor will try to redeem him or herself by behaving quietly on the next shift. I appreciate a heads up in report because I need to know what they are capable of in order to set some expectations.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

Last year, when I did an overnight as a *patient, the nightshift did a report for the oncoming dayshift in my patient room. This was the first time I had seen it either as a nurse or patient by nurses. Anyway, I think I woke up about 1/3 into a short report, the way it seemed. The nightshift nurse told the oncoming primary nurse, med nurse, and nurse asst. (team nursing) that I didn't take much prn pain med. (like that was not a great thing) and the rest was spoken a little too low to hear and I was groggy. But I was staring right at them from the time I awoke. They ignored me. ha. They didn't seem to be aware that I was/am a nurse, but who knows. I don't work there.