do you give good report?

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Are you brief and to the point? Do you have your labs looked up and include any abnormalities worth mentioning? How about labs ordered for the next shift? Do you remind/point out any new orders? Do you say "uhhhh.... and that's all I've got on John Doe, thanks! Do you add on interesting-but-not-necessary info? Do you see report as a necessary evil?

There is an art to giving report, I'm convinced. Some nurses give it chiseled in marble, and other nurses, like me, give it in crayon.

Whatever gets the gist across, right?

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

I am a crayola master! I dread report. We read off of preprinted cardexes and I bumble through them and sometimes I forget what patient I'm actually reporting on! Nothing worse than working your butt off and be hammered regarding your "lousy" report than by a student! Anyway, I just don't rate my nursing abilities on how fantastic I give report...main thing is report on those changes that will influence outcomes on the next shift.

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Specializes in CICU.

For me it all depends on the pt and the nurse receiving report. I work in a NICU and some of our pts are with us for a long time so everyone becomes familiar with their hx and tx. With these babies I point out pertinent info such as abnormal labs, labs due for the oncoming nurse, any changes in tx from my shift etc. If it is a new baby and not many nurses have had them yet the I give a brief hx of everything from the birth onwards. Of course some days by 1900 I am brain dead so I have been known to ramble.

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Specializes in Peds, PICU, Home health, Dialysis.

Our school provides us with a worksheet to carry around with us and fill out and we use that sheet specifically to give report. But the nurses on the unit I am in just want to know what you did for the patient that day, if there were any major changes in their status, and if they are due for any med's yet.

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Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.

Sometimes maybe, and sometimes I'm sure I don't.

I saw a more senior RN totally rip through a fellow float RN (us floats stick together) a few days ago and leave her in tears during report, for no good reason. :angryfire

There's no reason to be like that. Just get the facts, ask only the necessary questions, and be on your way.

There's a tele dayshift nurse who only wants the bare details and I can be done reporting off to her in 7-8 minutes usually.

I think report can sometimes get too full of chit-chat and things like discussion of pt's girlfriend/ex-wife/wife who all came to see him yesterday and yada yada yada... :uhoh3:

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Here's who I hate giving report to:

1. The Inquisitor: Wants to know every detail, where pt lives, how many steps, when was last BM, what's their diet (although it's written on their Kardex), etc. etc. Gives you a frowny face when you don't know.

1a. The Doctor-caller: Probably was trained by an Inquisitor: Wants to know if you called the doctor for various unusual occurrences such as a temperature of 99.2 (honey, I probably have a temperature of 99.2!), Na is 134 not 135, patient refused to take vitamins.

2. The Tree-lover: (as in can't see the forest for the trees). He or she becomes obsessed with something such as a K of 3.6 when meanwhile the patient has been desatting all afternoon and you are trying to explain the detailed doctor's orders on that, etc. Will not be distracted from the tree they are obsessing over, even if patient is dying/dead, running out the door, or bleeding out.

3. The Martyr: KNOWS you had a crappy shift, but insists that you finish every last thing that there were orders for. If you try to turf it to his/her shift, nurse sighs, looks heavenward for strength.

4. The Supreme Being: Whatever you did is wrong, he/she is perfect, will point out what you should have done, in a less than educational tone of voice.

Many of the above reportees also like to use Eye-Rolling as auxiliary means of communicating their displeasure.

I LOVE the nurse who gets the whole picture, has no problem finishing some unfinished orders, doesn't insist on every detail because it is either 1. On the Kardex or 2. In the computer right in front of him/her.

Oldiebutgoodie

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry/PCU, SNF.

Give me the basics: are they A & O? Trying to crawl out of bed? Are they breathing? Anything I need to get done before they go to bed? Any trends I need to be aware of? (runs of unstable rhythms, chest pain, SOB, etc.) Any special timing on meds?

Where I went to school some of the nurses insisted on giving the full psych-social history, including where they're from and all of that. The only thing I need to know in this regards is if family is an issue.

Unfortunately I'm a little frazzled in the AM when I give report so it is kind of scattered. But I make sure to hit the high points. It's really nice to give the patient back to the nurse I got report from, makes the backstory so much shorter.

Cheers,

Tom

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, Neuro/Trauma stepdown.

i mean really...is there something wrong with saying "look it up?" i mean, the info is right there in front of them in the computer. there've been times that i lean in front of them, grab the mouse and pull up the info in 2 secs. oh, see theres the K from yesterday...

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Don't bash me, but I'll readily admit that I tend to give sloppy reports at the end of my 16-hour shifts. Even if it is all written down in the 24-hour report book, I am just too exhausted to elaborate any further...

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Specializes in midwifery, NICU.

Do you give one-one handovers? This makes a difference, especially in the "fear factor" of report giving! We now do one-one, it's great, especially if handing over to the nurse you took over from. But way back when I was a new nicu nurse, we worked three shift days, and did walk round handovers, with ALL the oncoming shift taking your report! OMG..the FEAR!!.anticipation of that report, and giving it to the "eye rollers"..that was the worst time of my day! (PLEASE dont ask me picky questions..I would pray!!)

Now, although by report time, yes, I too am on another planet, but the handover is not an issue any longer. Tell what I NEED to tell, important stuff..the chit-chat can wait. My ALL time pet hate though, is people coming along and interupting the handover, and it turning into a social chat!!! Hey..Go away til i'm done...then make arrangements with your buddy!!!!!:angryfire

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I think I give good report! I have to write everything down, but I think that helps make me a bit more organized. I know one thing that I do that makes days roll their eyes a bit, is that I talk fast during report!! It's because I am ready to GOOOO!!!! Sorry!

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The quickest report I give is to the returning night nurse who reported to me at the beginning of day shift. I do not need to repeat all the pt history. Only updates are needed.

I follow the ICU flowsheet as a format for report. It gives me a visual aid and a structure to follow so I don't miss relevant info. A good report makes the start of the shift go so much smoother. After a good report and a full assessment, I feel I know my patient well.

I tend to give new nurses and floaters a more detailed report. With only 2 patients, reports can and should be detailed.

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