Improving patient care

[fortomorrow]

Eeek! I need a little help. Total brain freeze. The scenario is as followed...

A nurse in a bust 42 bed telemetry unit. Both the staff nurses and UAP work 12 hour shifts. Change of shift hand-off report occurs at 0700 and 1900 daily. During the staff meeting, the nurse manager challenges everyone to think of ways to improve patient satisfaction. You note that patients are dissatisfied during the change-of-shift times when the unit hallway becomes crowded and noisy. Most nurses and UAP's are not available to answer lights and attend to patient needs during this time.

What are some suggestions you can make to improve patient care during the change of shift hand-off report?

The only thing that comes to mind is record report.

[esrun00]

We will never do away with bedside report. While the nurses are getting report at bedside, the oncoming pcts are getting vital signs. The offgoing pcts answer call lights until time to leave, the the oncoming pcts will answer call lights. There are usually not that many, the nurses are in the rooms and so are the oncoming pcts (getting vitals). Our pcts get report from nurse after she gets report.

[Mijourney]

I agree with the previous poster comments. I also wonder if shift overlap can be considered. Some nurses can work eight hours while others work 12 hours or if management wants to maintain 12 hours maybe some can work 11-11 and others 7-7, for instance. Just a thought.

[rona ricardo]

Here's a thought. Start treating patients with respect. That's a good way to improve patient care.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

rona ricardo said:

Here's a thought. Start treating patients with respect. That's a good way to improve patient care.

What does that even mean???? And how does that help the op?

Anyway, my er has overlapping shifts, so there's always somebody who can check call lights for those rns getting/giving report. In lieu of overlap, going with the pct coverage as noted above sounds good.

[dreamingofbeing]

I was thinking what if the nurses and UAP had different start times. For example UAP work 0600-1800 and nurses work 0700-1900. That would help with call lights and such but as for noise reduction I just don't see that happening at shift change short of closing doors during that time.