I'm a senior nursing student (I'll graduate 12/20/04 - Yippee!). I've done clinical at about four different hospitals in my area, and work at another as a tech/unit secretary.
In these experiences I've never quite understood the value of report. It seems that we're just reiterating what's on the Kardex, in the chart, in the computer, etc.
It's not like you can be told something in report, and act on it without having to check it out for yourself, at least I wouldn't. I know that I have alot to learn, so I wanted to read what some of you thought.
Report would be a great assest if people would learn to cut out the garbage and give the true report. I don't need the whole kardex repeated to me, just give me the new and pertinent stuff!
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Where I work, patient assignments are made based on report. It's beyond important to have a clue as to what is going on w/patients on the floor before you take assignments, don't you think?
I work in an area where report is basically given over the patients head as we are connecting them to our monitors. I may get report from the anesthesia provider(depends on who it is, ranges from extensive excellent report all the way to no report). The circulating nurse also accompanies the patient to recovery and is supposed to give report(RN to RN). I have found that most of these nurses really have no idea of what is needed to convey. Many a time I have found out that the pt is a bilateral amputee or has COPD during my assessment(which usually comes several minutes after report and stabilizing them). I have had nurses "forget" to mention things like "The patients father tried to kill the mother and may try to see the child, but he has a restraining order....". So my point is that nothing can take the place of YOUR assessment. I have been surprised too many times by that colostomy or uriniary diversion that was under the covers, that no one thought to pass along! I give report every day to the floor nurses and I hope that Ia m thorough, and hope I don't miss anything vital. Always take the time to really LISTEN to report rather than writing useless info down. IV rates must be checked in the MAR anyway, so why write the rate down during report? Listen instead.
Since I was a circulator for a couple of years, I had to respond to this. First of all, the circulator usually gets NO report. There is not time during the case to read through the chart and figure out what the next nurse is going to want to know. Medical history, weird family situations, etc. - they do not get info like that so they cannot give it. It is not that circulators do not know how to give a report, but rather that they just don't have the information to give. Medical history such as COPD, etc. really should come from the CRNA. Circulators give report of the surgery (patient name, dx, surgeon, procedure, est. blood loss, allergies - that's about all the info we get on the patient and it's hard to get more while the patient is being operated on.)
report would be a great assest if people would learn to cut out the garbage and give the true report. i don't need the whole kardex repeated to me, just give me the new and pertinent stuff!
well said. report is only as good as the nurse giving it. and on the flipside, as a new nurse, don't you dare be doing the next nurses work for her. some peoples depend on their report to find out everything they can about their patients, without having to do any work. if god forbid someone forgets to tell me something, chances are i could figure it out on my own.
the best one i ever heard was from the nurse i was giving report to. "the pt was afebrile", i said. she said, 'what does afebrile mean". my response: "it means he has no fever"
Specializes in Neurology, Neurosurgerical & Trauma ICU.
I agree that report is only as good as the nurse giving it.
In my unit, we give a VERY detailed report. All of us do it that way and like it that way. Personally, I don't like the next nurse to find any suprises. We also do our report face to face (I HATE, HATE, HATE a taped report!!!!!).
I have posted about this elsewhere, so do a search if you'd like.
Also, I'd like to point out that often times, the kardex is not up to date. Let's face it, sometimes we all forget to throw stuff on there.
You'll also find that different units do reports differently...once you start working, you'll learn what's expected of your report.
some people are more visual learners and some more audio. I think reading the Kardex and then hearing report reinforces things that otherwise I may forget. Using more than one sense at a time heightens an experience.
Dixiecup
659 Posts
Report would be a great assest if people would learn to cut out the garbage and give the true report. I don't need the whole kardex repeated to me, just give me the new and pertinent stuff!