Giving last name in report

Nurses General Nursing

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In school, I was taught to chart the first initial, last name, and license of the nurse receiving Pt care.

This was explained that if the chart was called into court and I gave report to Brittany RN Anywhereville, Hospital, that there may be multiple people of this name at the same date and time report was given.

This has been my norm for report, and I have only recently ran into opposition. While giving report I, as usual, requested the nurses name for posterity. It's been a favorite of mine since the princess bride. The nurse, in no uncertain, terms reported "I'm not obligated to give my last name." I paused, then gave my last name and gave report. So I noted first name, hospital, and unit.

My question,

What is your opinion on giving last names for report?

I have heard the concern of the nurse on the other side being a "creep" and stalking the nurse. So safety I understand. Just want second opinions on my own understanding.

Specializes in Med/Surg/Infection Control/Geriatrics.
To me, it seems more likely that Brittney would say "I got report from Mike, RN at Memorial Hospital, but he never told me XYZ information in report, and that is what lead to this negative outcome." Should we also have to chart every piece of information that was passed on in report? IMHO, no...this is overkill, just like making sure a last name is charted is overkill.

FWIW, I think it is pretty silly if another nurse asks for your name and you label them a "creep."

I must respectfully disagree with this. As far as what goes on in report, while it is information gathering, it is the nurses DUTY to check the chart for updates and history no matter how busy they get. Noting something important you might discover that was not mentioned in Report is not only valuable in caring for your patient, but can help you being more thorough in case there IS litigation.

The off going nurse will sign the chart and her last name had better be in it.

A patient has the right to know who has been caring for them.

It's also helpful in report to have a last name, in case there are more than one nurse with the same first name.

As far as calling someone a "creep," I do agree that this is inappropriate. Name - calling never serves any constructive purpose.

When I handed off care at shift change, I did not chart "report given," both in the ED and on the floor. Some people in the ER were big on charting "report to XYZ," but I'm not sure what protections they thought that afforded them.

I think it's a habit some of us get into because of the number of times an assignment changes when it isn't shift change, as explained above.

With the amount of times people agree to stay over, the different blocks (of time) worked, the staggered shifts, and the number of times patients need to be given up or taken over, it can prevent a lot of headaches to chart a handoff in the ED.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

All I want to know is what all this has to do with The Princess Bride.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
We use Epic and part of the flowsheet is who you gave to report to/who you received report from and what time. I only chart first name and title "Sally, RN" and the approximate time. There are nurses who just chart "oncoming shift" but I don't think they are supposed to be doing that.

That's interesting to me. I've never used EPIC and didn't know that was even a thing to document who you either gave report to or got report from.

Here I was thinking this was one of those topics where I could say why would you ever chart who you reported off to, the EMAR/ETAR knows who is working based on who is logged in at the time care is given.

definitley silly, and a bit like get over yourself, you aren't that important, im just trying to do my job! lol...we are but specs in this big world.

Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
I must respectfully disagree with this. As far as what goes on in report, while it is information gathering, it is the nurses DUTY to check the chart for updates and history no matter how busy they get. Noting something important you might discover that was not mentioned in Report is not only valuable in caring for your patient, but can help you being more thorough in case there IS litigation.

I am a bit confused...are you saying that when I give report I should chart what information I passed on in that report?

That rule applies equally to nurses since we're licensed professionals. Every state requires that we provide our full name on request if it's requested in relation to our nursing practice, with some exceptions in psych and correctional nursing.

This is very true, but it appears that some facilities find it acceptable for nurses to document using just their first name on the patient's medical record, and, if this is the case, I find it odd that this practice is permitted when the medical record is a legal record/document that draws so much scrutiny, that may be audited/requested by authorized persons/subpoenaed, etc. This is not what I was taught was legally acceptable. It also makes it harder for the patient/their representatives to determine who the nurse was that provided their care at a given point in time (which I presume is the objective of some people). I would think that an attorney would have quite a lot to say about this.

I am also surprised that there is not a handover documentation standard that requires the full name of the nurses or at least the first initial and last name of both the nurse who is handing over the patient's care and the nurse who is assuming the patient's care, that is enforced in the same way other EMR documentation standards are enforced, particularly as handover is a time when miscommunication between health care team members has been shown to happen, with the result being errors in care that have the potential to or actually do result in harm to the patient. We follow SBAR format at handover with the intention of providing necessary/important patient information at shift change and minimizing errors in care that can harm the patient; surely recording the first name and last name or first name initial and last name of the nurses giving and receiving report contributes to patient safety, as there is no doubt as to who was the patient's nurse at a given time if questions arise.

The same principle applies to name badges (with the exception, as you stated, of psych and corrections).

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Yes, I can't think of another licensed profession that deals directly with the public where the professionals are as unwilling to disclose their last names as nurses are. Physicians display their first and last names on their badges with pride and introduce themselves to patients confidently, "I'm doctor Smith." Patients are never in doubt as to the first and last name of the physician treating them. Not so with nurses, yet nurses insist they are professionals and should be treated as such.

Often the doctor's badge doesn't include their first name.

As for last names, I'll admit to hiding mine when possible. I've been stalked by a patient (a psych patient, no less) who read my last name off the badge then looked me up in the phone book and took to spending his evenings in the branches of the oak tree outside my second story bedroom window. I've also been stalked by a custodian who read my name off my badge, heard through the grapevine that I was freshly single and took to calling me at work or my answering machine at all hours of the day and night to leave a recording of him pleasuring himself. Couldn't block numbers in those days, and no caller ID. He'd take the phone out of the doctor's conference room on our unit and drag it into the employee bathroom to call me. He was caught when he called our monitored and recorded emergency line and asked for me . . . not realizing that the call was being recorded. Upper management was upset enough about the recording that was left to have them involve the phone company in tracing the call.

In my former job, it was customary to chart last name and RN or LVN. No one does that at my current job except for travelers. I usually go with what I already know, like "Mary, RN" or simply NOC RN. I cannot imagine there would ever be an issue identifying who the prior shift nurse was since it is recorded all over the electronic chart. I assume this is more culture than procedure.

Our badges list first name and license, no last names. Electronic charting lists full name and license type.

Specializes in NICU.

This is not something I would do,my sbar has my name and the emr probably even has the name of my first born,why is this bothering you,...because you were taught in school? Alot will go down through the years that was never imagined in school.Defensive charting is different,this is nonesense.

Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

In my job, I make a lot of phone calls to insurance companies and other healthcare companies. I record all of this in the appropriate patient's chart. Generally, for these calls we ask for the other persons first name and last initial (and sometimes a call reference number).

It is much easier to reliably spell "Charlene G." than "C. Ghorkenski", and it does the job of allowing someone else to go back and say "No, at this date/time, the nurse here at the hospital spoke with Charlene G., who said that the new medication was approved."

All I want to know is what all this has to do with The Princess Bride.

When Wesley is strapped to the Machine, made by Count Rugen, he is asked to give a honest explanation for the pain he felt "for Posterity." If it helps,

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