Why do we call report to nurses receiving patients, before we transfer them? Is it okay to give a bedside report when we transfer patients, without first calling the nurse?
Here's the background: I work in a procedural area. We always call report before transferring a patient back to their room. Recently we had an outpatient develop complications and require a transfer to ICU. The person who was monitoring the procedure called the nurse to give report, while I transferred the patient to ICU. When I got there, it took awhile for the nurse to come to the room. She told me she didn't know anything about the patient, and didn't know she was getting a patient until that moment. I gave her a bedside report (from what I remembered about the procedure and patient). When I followed up with my colleague, he said he tried to call twice and couldn't get a hold of the nurse because she was in another patient room, so the nurse would get bedside report when the patient arrived. I became frustrated because I feel the nurse should be notified and receive some kind of report before the patient arrives to their room.
When I brought it up to my supervisor, she said my coworker attempted to call a couple of times, but couldn't reach the nurse. She then said there shouldn't be a problem with giving bedside report, instead of report over the phone. (My supervisor is not an RN).
I trained in ICU and never got patients without getting some kind of notification over the phone -i.e. rapid response, or pacu....is it just me? Is it okay to get the first report about a patient, as they're wheeling them into the room? I'm just confused. It feels wrong, but I don't know if it's just my perspective.
I’m wondering if the actual point here isn’t being missed, because this is how I practice nursing....ask yourself, “what is best for the PATIENT”....”am I doing EVERYTHING I can to assure that my PATIENT receives the BEST care possible?”.....and last but not least, “what would I do, if this PATIENT were MY family member?”.....patients are people not “cases” or “diagnoses”, and YES, I have worked in Critical Care and realize that we are all stretched to the limits, however, we need to be doing everything possible to assure that our patients are safe and receive our best care....that should start with the receptionist at the front door, right down to housekeeping....I have never and will never transfer a patient without giving report....if the nurse isn’t available, wait until they are....I’ve also called to give a heads up if they will need any special equipment set up...it’s really not that hard and instead of shoving it up your colleague’s a**, because you’re in a hurry, maybe we should be more considerate of each other...now before everyone starts making fun of me and singing Kumbya, lol, I have worked in the ER as well, so,no I’m not living in dreamland and, yes I do know how busy we can get....taking an extra 2 minutes can entirely change the way a patient is cared for....they are already stressed out by being sick/hurt, the last thing they need is to listen to nurses complain to and about each other, or feel guilty because they are creating a “problem”...it’s easy, just give report...and if you are the receiving nurse, maybe YOU can call for report when you are free??? WOW !! Simple stuff! ?
I'd admit I didn't read all of the responses so far, so maybe this has already been mentioned.
When I am being notified by my CN that I am getting a patient, I am also getting the very basics of info about them. At least a diagnosis and including whether or not they're intubated.
If the first indication a nurse gets that they are receiving a patient is that a nurse from another area is calling to ask to give them report, then that sounds like a breakdown in communication from the charge nurse to the receiving nurse.
Most of my received reports are at the bedside, including from ER (ICU nurse communicates with ER charge about a good time to come get report, ICU nurse goes to ER bedside to get report, ICU nurse and an ER RN/CNA/Transport bring pt up on the ER cot). I have no problem with bedside report. But, I would be unimpressed if someone walked in with a patient for me and I didn't know that they were coming or to expect them (but my questions would go both to the person bringing the patient, and my charge nurse, to figure out where things broke down). In very busy circumstances the charge nurse or another unit RN will take report for incoming patients and then they'll settle the patient until the original receiving RN is able to do another handoff.
LC0929, ASN, RN, EMT-B
113 Posts
I’m wondering if the actual point here isn’t being missed, because this is how I practice nursing....ask yourself, “what is best for the PATIENT”....”am I doing EVERYTHING I can to assure that my PATIENT receives the BEST care possible?”.....and last but not least, “what would I do, if this PATIENT were MY family member?”.....patients are people not “cases” or “diagnoses”, and YES, I have worked in Critical Care and realize that we are all stretched to the limits, however, we need to be doing everything possible to assure that our patients are safe and receive our best care....that should start with the receptionist at the front door, right down to housekeeping....I have never and will never transfer a patient without giving report....if the nurse isn’t available, wait until they are....I’ve also called to give a heads up if they will need any special equipment set up...it’s really not that hard and instead of shoving it up your colleague’s a**, because you’re in a hurry, maybe we should be more considerate of each other...now before everyone starts making fun of me and singing Kumbya, lol, I have worked in the ER as well, so,no I’m not living in dreamland and, yes I do know how busy we can get....taking an extra 2 minutes can entirely change the way a patient is cared for....they are already stressed out by being sick/hurt, the last thing they need is to listen to nurses complain to and about each other, or feel guilty because they are creating a “problem”...it’s easy, just give report...and if you are the receiving nurse, maybe YOU can call for report when you are free??? WOW !! Simple stuff! ?