Useless Shift Report Information

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

All I really want to hear in shift report is pretty much the basic patient info, precipitating reason for admission, areas of medical concern, meds & treatments, and current status.

I don't give a rat's rear if the reporter likes or dislikes the patient, thinks the patient acts like a two year old, or believes the hospital will not be reimbursed for services. (We just discharged a patient who had been there for 5 months.)

Ever get any useless information in your shift reports?

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Specializes in Practice educator.

It's one of my pet peeves. I just want the basics. Its hard for me to chose a particular subject that irritates me I just have a real dislike of a laborious handover.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

" It's not if you win or lose, it's how you look playing the game."

It seems that some nurses believe if they talk a lot, then they worked hard or maybe it makes them feel important.

As my Hank Williams cartoon character once said, "If it cain't be said in a word balloon, it ain't worth sayin'!"

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Specializes in ER OR LTC Code Blue Trauma Dog.

Yeah, when report turns into a powerpoint presentation.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
On 7/30/2019 at 6:52 AM, Crash_Cart said:

Yeah, when report turns into a powerpoint presentation.

At least with a PowerPoint presentation, Crash, there's something to look at other than someone sitting there with their mouth r-u-n-n-o-f-t!

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Specializes in Medsurg.

When the previous nurse is injecting pathophysiology into the report like your a idiot who didn't pass the class. Girl let's get this show on the road.

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I can do without the judgmental commentary, the nurse's off-the-wall suspicion of some zebra diagnosis, or a play-by-play of how the nurse and patient have been getting along for the past 12 hours. On the other hand, it seems like some people prefer to just skip large categories of relevant information - such as social factors influencing the situation.

For instance, it would be nice for me and the patient if you just go ahead and mention that the patient's partner and caretaker died unexpectedly last week.

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

Tell why they're here, any major issues on the shift, how they take their meds, and if they can walk and are continent. And I guess if they have some major psychosocial stuff happening (e.g., actively suicidal and may only have finger foods, visitors bringing in contraband, etc.), I want to know that. Everything else I can generally figure out from the chart. Also, I don't give a hoot what anyone's personal opinion is of the patient's likability; you never know who you're going to click with and who will just rub you wrong.

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.
3 hours ago, Davey Do said:

Ever get any useless information in your shift reports? 

All the time!! I could care less about: the patients mothers, cousins, wifes son who will be visiting today, what kind of ice cream they like, what their labs were 3 days ago or what their med hx was 20 yrs ago (unless relevant of course), or like y'all already stated, how much you like/dislike the pt. . Just stick to the facts.

But what was worse than getting report full of completely useless info was getting very little report with a this is an "easy patient" statement at the end.

It only took a few to realize that the reason the patient was so easy was because the nurse giving report did not do what s/he should have for the patient, which for me meant the patient was a hot mess for me.

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.
1 hour ago, Snatchedwig said:

Girl let's get this show on the road.

If I had a nickel for every time I was thinking this while getting report!!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

This is definitely my biggest pet peeve, and could be a safety issue because if you're diluting all of the pertinent patient information with random things that are irrelevant, it is more likely going to get drowned out or lost in the random info.

In pediatric world one of my biggest report pet peeves is regarding diet. Just tell me they are tolerating their ordered diet, period. I do not need to know that they had three bites of cheerios, one eighth of their baby food, and a half bite of a tater tot. Come on!

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Specializes in ICU.
2 hours ago, Crash_Cart said:

Yeah, when report turns into a powerpoint presentation.

? this!

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