Giving last name in report

[DaveICURN]

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.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I never asked for the last name of the accepting nurse when transferring a patient either to rehab or another facility. Never was asked for my name when accepting a transfer, either.

I am occasionally asked for my last name in my current role and I provide it when asked. My last name is included in my email address so often that's why I'm giving it. I don't ask for clinic RN's last names when I'm calling about one of my patients or anything though.

[mrsboots87]

Why do you need the name at all? People chart way too much sometimes, in my opinion. You can get in just as much trouble if you overchart as you do if you underchart. The system states who cared for you patient before and after you. Each nurse should be doing their own head to toe assessment when receiving a new admit.

When it comes down to it, no matter what you charted you passed off to the new nurse can easily be disputed.

Where I work, charting handoff is part of our monthly chart audit and we get dinged for not doing it. At the end of the year, chart audits are used as part of a merit increase review process.

My hospital requires us to chart the time handoff occurred so it can't be argued who was overseeing a patients care at what time. We chart assessments Q4H. We chart ADLs and basic cares as we do them. But if something happens between that last time the night nurse charged, and the first time the day nurse charged, they want to know who was in charge of the patient at the time of whatever incident may occur. Seems a bit much to me but whatever I guess. It takes me 10 seconds to chart a handoff so I don't get grumpy about it.

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

We chart that we call report. I generally only ask for first names when I call report to an ICU or PACU. As others have said - it becomes pretty clear who is providing care for patients when the receiving unit begins charting. I can't control what happens when the patient gets to ICU and sometimes the charge takes report for the person taking the patient (busy, transporting, etc).

The only time I get asked my full name and credentials consistently is when handling or facilitating call backs to our transfer center. They have to document who they give patient info to, and what the response is. I don't mind it - the providers I work with don't make me nervous about anything, they either make a decision then or as soon as possible/feasible. Sometimes they pass it off to another attending if it's a bad time to handle a decision that's not relevant to my current patient's care.

[wondern, ASN]

It would be nice if their ID badge with full name and title was visible as well.

[TigraRN]

Yes! Most of the times it is flipped with blank side up.

[Susie2310]

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.

[MunoRN, RN]

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 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.

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.

[JKL33]

If a name is required (by policy) I prefer FI/Last name, RN. To me it is far more professional.

There are various situations in which one would want to chart handoff for clarification purposes. Simple example: RN's assignment needs to change during the shift. Charting the hand-off takes care of the problem where the nurse to whom report was given conveniently forgets/doesn't get around to signing up for the patient in a timely manner (such as in ED tracker systems). If the person fails to sign up and doesn't have an immediate reason to chart something on that patient or doesn't provide timely care in the ensuing minutes/hours, there's really no proof that they indeed received report and should have taken over care of that patient.

I can't imagine the probability that the reporting RN who asks the receiver's last name will turn out to be a stalker/creeper. That sounds like a fairly immature reason to avoid giving basic professional information.

[/username, BSN, RN]

Does this moron not realize that their last name is in the chart?

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

Our charting has name fields. When giving report, you actually attach it to a specific person in the system. First, middle (sometimes initial), and last name shows up.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

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.

OTOH, I worked in an ED that had an EMTALA violation for, supposedly, no nurse to nurse report given on an ED to ED transfer. While I was in no way connected to the violation, I made darn sure that I was charting "Report to Sally RN at Memorial Hospital ED." I still did not use last names.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I can't believe that people are expected to document who they give report to in these times of EMR. I can understand places where paper charting is still the norm, but for the rest of us? I get floor to floor transfers, but end of shift? I think that it's pretty clear who was the nurse for what patient. In our EMR we "establish our role" as their nurse in our patient's chart when we start the shift. It takes maybe 2 clicks and we get easy access to their chart. It also allows us to "group" our patients in an easy format that allows us to see alerts about outstanding tasks, new orders, etc.