My Manager has told us we are "not to chart" when we have an unsuccessful attempt at calling report to the floor or ICU. We are a very small facility and have no nursing supervisor or even a charge nurse to intervene when the floor refuses to take report. We are especially vulnerable at change of shift. I have offered to participate on a committee to look into the causes and am still waiting for our first meeting after 2 months have gone by.
In the past, I have always charted 1. The time I called for the bed assignment 2. The time or Times I have attempted to call report & 3. The time I actually transfered the patient.
Anyone else out there had this problem? What do you put in the chardt?
when i call report and i am told that the nurse is busy, i ask if anyone else will take report. if the answer is no i inform them that i am going to chart "rn,s on 6north unable to take report at this time" (unless they then tell me a code/precode is in progress) if i attemp to call report and the nurse says she "won't" take report i inform that rn that i am charting it as a refusal. when i inform they floors of my charting i tell them that it is not bashing them but covering myself when our department does QA on our charting to find out why there were delays in transferring the patient. i find that the nurses on the floor call back within 5-15 min if i tell them what i am about to chart. i also try to be flexable and play "let's make a deal". i tell the RN that i f i can at least Give report now i can wait 30-45min to transfer the patient. that usually works well.
That's another issue altogether than holding patients because of unsafe ratios on the floor. The "let's make a deal" is always fine with me if I'm truly busy and always appreciate the ER helping me out in this way. But we're not allowed to obstruct ER transfers for any reason, but we have a great ER that will work with us. They always document if they call and we're unable to take report. Doesn't bother me a bit, because if the fact is I'm unable to take report, please feel free to document that. That shows we are making the effort, and doing what's best for the patients.
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,332 Posts
That's another issue altogether than holding patients because of unsafe ratios on the floor. The "let's make a deal" is always fine with me if I'm truly busy and always appreciate the ER helping me out in this way. But we're not allowed to obstruct ER transfers for any reason, but we have a great ER that will work with us. They always document if they call and we're unable to take report. Doesn't bother me a bit, because if the fact is I'm unable to take report, please feel free to document that. That shows we are making the effort, and doing what's best for the patients.