L&D to PP patient handoff at change of shift

[Urban Mama Nurse]

I'm working on improving the process of transferring mothers and babies

from Labor and Delivery to our Postpartum unit during change-of-shift.

I'd like to hear input from other nurses who work in these fields. Does

your hospital prohibit transfer during these times? If not, what

policies or guidelines have you put in place to ensure patient safety

during transfers at these times and to ensure efficiency for the nurses

going off-shift and completing the transfers? I'm looking for ideas and

best practices to help improve functioning on my unit. We are a

high-volume urban hospital and would like to refine this process further

and ensure that nurses on both Labor and Delivery and Postpartum can

live with the expectations set for this process.

Thanks!

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

I am not in L&D but on my floor or any floor in my hospital really, no transfer is allowed at change of shift.. We can get them or the other dept can bring them either before 6:30 or after change of shift at 7:30.. We do walking rounds and do not answer our phone once in report. Our report starts at 7a and 7p.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Could you give shift report in person with the rest of the off-going nurses to the oncoming nurse who would be taking care of the PP patient (rather than give report to off-going nurse, who would then have to give report to the oncoming shift)?

That's what we do if we have a late-in-the-shift delivery - we just hold onto the mom until change of shift, and then the labor nurse hands off the patient to the PP nurse from the new shift.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

In theory, we're not supposed to get anyone after 6:30 am or pm, but 'things' happen and often it's a few minutes later than that. When that happens, I do the first check/VS and usually the oncoming shift takes over after that. We do phone report a few minutes prior to transfer with updates in person once the patient turns over.

[tablefor9, RN]

What Klone said...and sometimes, if everybody in L&D is living right, we'll do 1st pp assess w/ vitals, etc, and chart it @ time of transfer, so that the oncoming shift has only reassessments to do.

In a perfect world, nobody would get dumped on, but there you go.

Edit to add: we have a hand off sheet, also...

[Queen2u]

SOME, NOT ALL L&D nurses (and nurses in other departments as well...Med/Surg, ER....) are under the impression that postpartum is an area of nursing in which "loser/reject nurses" or the nurses who "couldn't handle L&D" work. In their eyes, we don't do much work in postpartum, so to give us report on a new patient 20 minutes before change of shift is no big deal. I LOVE nursing!!!!!! I just wish all nurses in all departments had respect for one another and the work we do to make the lives of others better, wheather it's having code blue's on sickly patients every day or massaging a fundus on a healthy happy patient who had just added a new life to their family.:redpinkhe:nurse:

[jlskjlsk]

maybe we can have L&D nurse phone report to PP am RN prior to transfer of patient while night PP nurse settling mother in and do a set of vs and fundal assessment?? We've got to help each other out right!?

[Marian96, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

In our unit that is not allowed. That is not a safe practice at all!!! Nurses must bring the patient before 6:30pm or after 7:30pm (For night shift).

[labordude, BSN, RN]

We have switched to this model as well. No transfers allowed between 630-730 on either shift. If there is a patient that needs to go right at that time frame, the oncoming nurse will come get report on them FIRST and then L&D will move the patient over to PP so the nurse can finish getting report on their other patients. We had to write it down because people can't seem to play nice with others in my unit.