Report etiquette

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2016

When I am receiving report I tend to open the labs/radiology & testing/and MAR tabs. I do this because I find that often my colleagues leave out some information regarding abnormal labs, or did not follow up on xrays. I like to look at the daily x ray and make sure that my lines and ETT are in the right places. I also like to look at the MAR in case they didn't give a medication I can address it before they leave. Nothing is more annoying than going to administer meds and seeing a medication from 1800 not administered and you are wondering if it was actually done but it is now 2100 and they are long gone.

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Jan 22, 2016

If I'm ready for report and the outgoing nurse isn't, I start my day. I usually don't have time to sit around and wait and I hate starting off with a bunch of angry patients who've been waiting 45 minutes for their requests to be taken care of.

Beatlefan, BSN · Jan 22, 2016

I have started a couple threads with this very same issue. My floor has gone from taping report to face to face to bedside (which no one really adheres to unless the NM is around). There are some nurses who take their time while deciding assignments, so by the time they get to the floor for report, too much time has passed. When they get to the floor for report, instead of allowing the previous shift to report off, they will have to find a computer to sign into, wipe off their keyboard with a cavi wipe, etc. In my years in nursing, I have realized that there are some odd people in this profession. I have had an older nurse find a reason to lose her temper with me during report when I was new- this lasted for about 6 months, and then she moved onto another newbie and I was her best friend. I have had people who are too busy being angry with their assignment to listen, who are looking up things on the computer while I am talking, they will also ask me to repeat things that I have (very slowly and eloquently) already said. I feel that it is all about control. I also used to allow my co-workers to grill me during report- which I have now become comfortable saying "I don't know, let's look that up" in response.

Beginning with nursing school to the floors and units, there are some head cases who feel that knowledge is power, and will ask ridiculous questions. I find this amusing after working a particularly hectic shift, telling the oncoming shift that it was very busy, and then having the nurse I am reporting off to ask ridiculous questions like "is there an order stating that?" or "what did the doctor say about that?".

Lastly, and here is an old favorite; the nurse who wants dates of everything, even for our longer term patients who have been on our floor for weeks. This nurse will want to know admission date, dates of all the significant happenings of the admission.

When I posted about this in the past, our fellow Allnurses responses have basically said that people who are rude during report are wrong, unprofessional and should take the report given them, and look up the rest. Thanks to this advice, I have gone from being very sensitive to the passive-aggressive stuff like eye rolling and petty questioning to just giving report with a smile and going home. Never to think about that end of shift report again. It works. :)

nursecatRN · Jan 22, 2016

if I don't know all of the labs or test results then its fine for the computer to be loaded up to look.. but documenting during report that the patient has wrist bands and non skid socks on when it takes 8 minutes for the computer to load or you're literally in with someone else's patient and documenting your shift assessment before you even take report for me and I'm waiting is so incredibly rude and obnoxious.

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2016

I was giving report to a preceptor and her new grad on a patient with a very complicated history, he had been in the ICU for about a month and they had never cared for him before. As I was giving report the orientee kept sucking her teeth, and logging on to the MAR, rolling her eyes. When I noticed all that I turned my chair to face the preceptor and finished report. If someone is not paying attention to the report I am giving then that is their own problem. I will not clarify things that I already spoke at length about, i.e. wounds/dressings.

Natasha, RN, BSN · Jan 23, 2016

When I am receiving report I tend to open the labs/radiology & testing/and MAR tabs. I do this because I find that often my colleagues leave out some information regarding abnormal labs, or did not follow up on xrays. I like to look at the daily x ray and make sure that my lines and ETT are in the right places. I also like to look at the MAR in case they didn't give a medication I can address it before they leave. Nothing is more annoying than going to administer meds and seeing a medication from 1800 not administered and you are wondering if it was actually done but it is now 2100 and they are long gone.

This is EXACTLY why I open my computer when I'm coming on shift and receiving report. But am I documenting events of the night when giving report? Nope, because that IS rude. As you've stated, and I quite agree, it's inconsiderate.

Just last night the reporting nurse was getting irritated with me because I was logging in to check info on my pt during report. And... the irritation was because she was hoping I would not notice the med she did not give, nor that the order for the med was IV and she already pulled the pts IV out because they were complaining about it (no issues with said IV, pt was just tired of it being in, according to reporting nurse). I just politely asked the nurse to get this 'situation' fixed, and thankfully the NM is very adamant about nurse's not leaving work that should have been done on their shift for the next nurse. The reporting nurse took care of it once reports were given, but grudgingly. I get that we are all busy. But when a task falls on your shift that needs to be done, please, get it done (or at the VERY least let the oncoming shift nurse know about it)! I am one for giving the benefit of the doubt, but it's pretty safe to say the med miss was not going to get mentioned as the report was wrapping up, and this has been an issue with this nurse in the past (and yes she has been reported before). Sorry... got off on a tangent...

nursecatRN · Jan 25, 2016

Definitely agree with that. If the patient has no Iv and needs one and you haven't even tried to replace it that is rude. And you should pass your meds and not leave them, for sure. I always look up these kinds of things before report though.

Natasha, RN, BSN · Jan 25, 2016

You are correct, nursecat, about looking up those kind of things before the report And that is what I do, and thus knew when I would eventually GET report from that nurse, I would need to log back in to show that nurse as proof. Otherwise, she has been known to "skirt" around the report... best to bring back up the pt info which took all of 10 seconds (sorry I did not elaborate more in my story). But I very much agree... looking up info just before report allows me to catch things and get clarification DURING report :)

lunchboxRN · Jan 25, 2016

How about PLEASE do not go into each patient's room and introduce yourself after I have finished giving you the run down for that one person. You will have plenty of time over the next 12 hours to do that. We all know you can't go into a room without dealing with requests. Do that after I have completely finished with all 5-6 patients!

If the nurse before me didn't know, the patient doesn't know, and it's not documented....how am I supposed to know either?

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Jan 25, 2016

I look at meds, radiology and lab tests quickly as I get the run down from the previous nurse for the same reasons as everyone else, to find out what I need to do and ensure if I have a question, it gets answered before they take off. I like going by each room with the nurse to introduce so they know who to ask for, plus I do bedside report if I can.

Btw, bedside report probably saved my career when I was a new grad in ICU. Caught a huge med error....

Once I've gotten. Verbal from the previous nurse on my patients, she's outta there. My turn to man ship.

my biggest peeve with report is when people are too busy chatting to give of get it. Social hour can happen after!

Karou · Jan 25, 2016

I come in 5-10 minutes early to check labs and the MAR for my assigned patients. If I am super fast, I can check the order summary. My facility uses EPIC and I can quickly see any due/overdue meds, held orders, vital signs, even telemetry status with a glance.

When receiving report, I write down whatever information I am told and only ask appropriate questions once the offgoing nurse has finished. I rarely have many questions. Once in a while the nurse and I will log on to clarify/view something.

I don't mind being left a task here and there, unless it's a repeat offender. I know which nurses I need to double check everything when I'm following them, and which ones I trust.

I can't stand when someone acts disinterested when I'm giving report. Even worse, when they interrupt me every five words with a question (um, I was about to answer that before you interrupted). There are nurses who take this time to assess the patient, which is rude and inconsiderate of my time. If the nurse asks a ridiculous question that's available in the chart (like what was their last BM two days ago like), then I tell them I don't know but they can probably find it in the chart. Same answer for specific dates that are irrelevant to the patients current hospitalization (old MVA, CVA, ect).