How long does report take?

MicheleRN2000 · May 20, 2003

I work on a 25 bed general medicine unit. Like all others, report usually only takes 20 minutes...longer if we have to calls from lab, send pts to xray, etc...talking to families (ugh!!), and things like that. There's on nurse that wants "just the facts" if you will, and it takes 10 minutes with here. I work nights, and by 0700, you're ready to go! We have some people that jaunt off the elevator at 0659, race to clock in, then take their good old time getting their papers ready, eating breakfast, etc. I just tell the RN I'm ready and the LPN can catch up. I don't have time for that crap! We give report outside the pt's room so the oncoming shift can look at the Kardex and stuff. I don't like it because the pt can hear every word you say, then come back on you later. It's also an issue of pt confidentiality. But, our nurse manager is a relic, and a witch. Families also like to listen in to hear what you're saying about their precious, usually PIA, mother. We've tried doing stuff, but it goes in one ear and out the other, as usual!!!

boggle, ASN, RN · May 20, 2003

Charge nurse hears report on hte whole floor here. That takes 45 min more or less. Staff nurses take report on their assigned patients from the nurses that had the past shift.

The staff nurses report can take 10 minutes or 30 depending on how many times we are inturrupted by patient needs, or on how organized or frazzled the off-going nurse is and whether I had the same patients the day before.

I often struggle with GIVING report. I try to be organized, but often am myself so frazzled, overwhelmed by the end of shift that I can't organize my "presentation" of report. There is so much happening on our floor at the end of shift....way too much information swimming in my head.

Sjackson983 · Jun 4, 2003

In our CCU it takes approx. 5 minutes per patient. We normally have one or two patients, at the most three. We do a bedside report. We have a timeline sheet on the chart with a short H & P, diagnosis, MD's and what has happened since the patient has been hospitalized. This way, the nurse taking report doesn't have to write everything down (this saves alot of time).

candicane · Jun 4, 2003

At the facilty I work at we have taped reports, but they have just instituted a policy that only RN's go to report which takes 30-45min then they have to find time to give report to the LPN they are working with. The idea is that the LPN can go ahead and start checking vitals and things to save time, but when its busy half the shift is over before you actually get report. The other problem is that pts expect their nurses to know something about them so there is a lot of "I don't know I will have to go find out" when a pt asks a question.

Cheyenne RN,BSHS · Jun 4, 2003

We do primary nursing care so that I am only going to hear the report on my own assigned patients. Takes about 10 minutes and the other few minutes I use looking up the lab values and xray results done on each patient.

There's a shift to shift report the senior nurse uses, but it only hits the high lights of patient changes or conditions for them. We each write on our patients before the shift change for them.

Patient ratio is supposed to be 1:6 ... every now and then you get a seventh patient, but that is not the norm. Our unit closes and routes patients elsewhere when there are not enough nurses to care for the patients.

TreceRN · Jun 5, 2003

Our 33 bed cardiology unit switched from a taped report (which took 1/2 hour to 45 minutes) to "walking rounds" over a year ago and we've cut our report time down to 20 minutes max. Our process is the charge nurses come in 15 min before shift and the off-going charge gives a brief report to the oncoming charge on every pt (just the essentials to make appropriate assignments based on acuity/skill mix). Then everyone for the oncoming shift meets in the report room for 5 minutes to get their pt assignments and a report sheet with all the pt's names, MD, & diagnosis. Then the nurse meets with the off-going shift and they exchange verbal report. We've found that this not only decreases time spent in report, but it has increased inter-shift communication and improved staff relationships and peer accountability.

Heartsofangels · Jun 5, 2003

I work in long term care and it usually takes 15-20 minutes depending on the nurse and what has happened. I like taping reports the best. The next shift comes in, you do count and leave. We also have a report sheet we fill out for anything that's new so the next shift can also read that. I don't really like verbal reports because you can get off track easy and you're there longer, but I like it because I feel like I won't miss telling the next shift anything important.

AutumnSunfire · Jun 5, 2003

Where I work it takes maybe 15-20 minutes..depending on the day. The report is typed and read to next shift.

muffylpn · Jun 7, 2003

In my hospital it takes 45 min for the day and 3-11 shift to

get report. I'm still trying to figure it out. It takes us the

11-7 shift 10 total minutes to report