Nurses whom give overly detailed reports...

[Gr8Dane]

Ideally you have 30 minutes for report, or we do at least, 6:45-7:15. I generally clockin at 18:35 to grab the patient info from the cardexes (Diet, vitals, activities, special notes from doctors, meds, IV site loc/fluids/etc).

I prompty notify the nurse of this and begin report for "updates", "highlights", "Important info". This works 99% of the time, and I feel it's the most effect report that can be given/done as you don't waste time on the nurse giving you outdated info when the cardex should be updated constantly whenever an order is written if the nurse is doing their job properly.

But that 1% likes to give EVERY DETAIL. Sits there and reads everything off the kardex to me (which I already have written down), every med to me (I make sure all meds were signed for prior to begining to report), how many times the patient coughed, their complete history medical and personal, every little detail of the day.

A great report sure, detailed very, but I don't care that the patient ate half an apple with their dinner, or that they coughed a few times when their in for pneumonia.

Am I the bad nurse for wanting to get a good, yet quick report so I may begin my shift or are they the bad nurse for taking over 30 minutes to give report on 6-7 patients.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

You left out the gossip factor.......that nurse from3 west knows this guy and........then he.....

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

I am one of those overly-detailed-report people. I swear, I am trying to change my ways but I am so paranoid about leaving something crucial out, I probably do go overboard.

Part of the problem is (shifting the blame here ) that I work on mother/baby and some of report by nature involves family drama. I much prefer things to be cut and dry, but if Mom and FOB have a nasty breakup right in front of everybody, well, that might be pertinent later on.

Usually what helps is to break things down: 1) what's her admitting dx; 2) what's happened since then; 3) ditto 1 & 2 for baby; and 4) what they need before discharge. That has cut way back on the extraneous chatter.

[LuLu2008]

My opinion is that there should be a brief informative update given in report. Nothing superfluous. When nurses do not do this it is really an educational issue, and the company that has hired them should include in the orientation process the correct content, format and length of passing on report at change of shift. CONCISE AND INFORMATIVE!!!! I think this is a learned skill, and unfortunately it's just as easy for nurses to learn bad traits from one another as it is for them to learn good ones.

[southernbeegirl, BSN, RN]

iagree lu.

one thing i've learned to do is a written report. i STILL want to tell them everything in report so i write it down to give to them. then i go over just the highlights with them...dx, tx, IV, and change, etc. i put down all the CS results, IV due times, tx done or need to be done,etc. that they can read at their leisure.

it's worked for me and now i can give a superfast report.

my peeve is the nurses that DONT give report. you know the ones "nothing happened". then half hour into your shift you start finding out all the things that "didnt" happen the night before, lol. drives me nuts!

[LuLu2008]

iagree lu.

one thing i've learned to do is a written report. i STILL want to tell them everything in report so i write it down to give to them. then i go over just the highlights with them...dx, tx, IV, and change, etc. i put down all the CS results, IV due times, tx done or need to be done,etc. that they can read at their leisure.

it's worked for me and now i can give a superfast report.

my peeve is the nurses that DONT give report. you know the ones "nothing happened". then half hour into your shift you start finding out all the things that "didnt" happen the night before, lol. drives me nuts!

You are so right. If we just know who what where when how and why when we walk into a patient's room it helps! Hey, I feel like a dumpkoff, but can't for the life of me remember what CS means? Cat Scan? Central Supply? Cerebral Spinal? Help!!!!!

[LuLu2008]

I have a pretty decent worksheet, all on one page, that a friend who works in a hospital gave me. Is there some way I can send it to this website as an attachment in Word or PDF??

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

But think about it like this...its better than receiving a half-prepared report. It did get on my nerves too, but then again I was glad to get too much rather than not enough. But there was this one nurse who would ramble on for 10 minutes over one patient, which was over the top. We did tape-recording and she would use over half the tape, whew. I was exhausted before even starting my shift, lol. But I just stared homehealth after 4 years in the hospital, and now I want as much info as I can get (taking my new patient load) because Im scared to death of missing something! Also, usually the ones who tend to dramatize alot in report are new and dont really know what is/isnt important. So I gave them slack. I always try to remember...that once was me.

[Straydandelion]

I gear my report to who is coming on shift. If someone has had that patient before, I discuss the highlights from the last time they were there. If I am not sure, I ask if they are familiar with the patient and go from there HOWEVER, the exact IV and meds that are on the med sheet along with things the nurse can read for themselves, I don't report. Looking at it a different way, would you trust what you heard verbally in report about the rate/type of IV, or would you want to see what it is in a MAR?

Brief history if not familiar

Doctor rounds if any changes were ordered

IV's/other equipment working and patent

Results or waiting for results of tests/labs etc.

General emotional/physical state i.e. weaker/depressed etc.

If concentrating on an intervention then I would report that such as "PT saw and she/he's ambulation is improving".

Anything different/significant highlighting the shift.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Hey I hear ya. One nurse that works the 2330-0730 shift where i work will list every time that some used the bedpan or the urinal. " Mary Smith used the bedpan at 0030, 0235, no, make that 0245, 0500 and again at 0700". We do a taped report and half the time hit the fast forward button to skip to the next pt.

Reminds me of a nurse who would elaborate on every trip to the bathroom, including minor details of how the meal went, then near the end of the (taped) report she would always say "that about it on her" but then she'd remember a few more details and rattle on for another 5 minutes!

[ghillbert, MSN, NP]

I am always amazed by how much stuff is missed, or not followed up on, or not done from shift to shift. I prefer a complete report - of course, only of pertinent information, but I hate nurses saying to me "oh, don't worry, I'll look it up" - No. It is my responsibility as to what I tell you, and I'm gonna make sure I can cover my butt by handing over important info.

[clhankin67]

I suffered thru the same kind of report when I was working in Tele. What is worse, however, is trying to GIVE report to one of them. They continuously interupt the report asking a million questions, what was the BM like, what meds are they on, do I have any meds to give, etc, etc. Report should be brief and to the point so that you may get out and assess the patient yourself! I have found these nurses that take forever to get report, also take forever to get into the rooms to perform their first assesment! They are busy reading the chart and looking up all the info in the computer.

[flygirl43]

blah, blah,blah,blah. I like written report. You can add to it thru the day, its consistent and factual. And if your going to sit there and read it to me. Im going to choke you. I think I know how to read!