Would love some input in rolling out bedside report

[kms6417]

0We will be starting bedside report (again) soon on our Mother Baby unit. Presently, we give report at the nurses station and each nurse transcribes this information onto their "own" report worksheet. This sheet is a personalized fill-in the-blank that each nurse carries with them throughout their shift. Soon they want a written kardex type sheet to be started by the unit secretary and updated and recopied to be used as a bedside handoff. They are not suggesting we use the EMR we presently document in. Management no longer wants to see nurses giving report at the nurses station and then going into the room to introduce the new nurse.

How do other Mother Baby units handle bedside report?

Every nurse organizes themself differently. No one uses the same report worksheet and many will now be recopying to their own sheet after report. How do you handle transfer of sensitive information? Some of our patients don't want their significant other to know they have a history of HSV or a previous pregnancy. Patients are sleeping frequently after being up breast feeding an infant all day or night and may not want this report to awaken them.

Our unit has tried this before and it has not worked. I would appreciate any input from other Mother Baby unit or nursing units on how bedside report is handled on your floor. Thanks!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

If almighty management "no longer wants to see nurses giving report at the nurses station and then going into the room to introduce the new nurse".. then almighty management should come up with the freaking process.

As an agency nurse, I worked in several facilities where nurses were "supposed" to be doing bedside report. They all worked there way around it by going through the motions, if and when management was visible.

Almighty management needs to know that ALL patients, especially new mothers, need to rest and not be woken up for a BS management rule.

Perhaps YOU could be the one to advocate for them.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I just had a baby. The legitimate and frequent interruptions were bad enough. I don't think I would have enjoyed report in my room on top of everything else.

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

Our floor does bedside reporting, in theory, but everyone dodges it. I am one of the more experienced nurses on the floor and I resist most change, but I have to say, I LOVE bedside report. I like the big picture when it comes to report, and if I am sitting there with a pump, these nurses who act like their practice is different depending on the location of an IV can be silenced, same with gauge and insertion date. Report goes much quicker and the patient is happy to hear what is going on. That said, it all goes south really fast when the offgoing nurse gives their 1800 lasix at 1855, or the patient hadn't been rounded for a while.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

We did this in the ER using the SBAR format. It should not really be much longer than the bedside introduction — just an overview of what has been done, what is pending, what needs doing, and the plan to get to disposition (admit, discharge, or transfer). The ER is a bit different, of course, but that's it in a nutshell.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

When we bothered to pretend we were doing bedside report, some of us would find empty rooms to hide in so that management wouldn't see us at the desk, but we wouldn't be interrupting our patients' rest either.

Bedside report is one of those things that can be really good in specific circumstances... as long as management doesn't whine about all the overtime it racks up because the patients and visitors will interrupt you constantly. I've yet to find a manager who wanted bedside report but was okay with the overtime it generates.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Our floor does bedside reporting, in theory, but everyone dodges it. I am one of the more experienced nurses on the floor and I resist most change, but I have to say, I LOVE bedside report. I like the big picture when it comes to report, and if I am sitting there with a pump, these nurses who act like their practice is different depending on the location of an IV can be silenced, same with gauge and insertion date. Report goes much quicker and the patient is happy to hear what is going on. That said, it all goes south really fast when the offgoing nurse gives their 1800 lasix at 1855, or the patient hadn't been rounded for a while.

Sounds like you like bedside report for YOUR satisfaction.

Which patients are "happy to hear what is going on"? Are they not already informed , regarding their progress and care throughout your shift?

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

We use bedside report on our stepdown unit. Prior to report, the nurse is expected to ask the patient if they want to participate in bedside report. If they say no, we do a quick introduction for the change and then complete report over by the door, leaving the patient to rest and be undisturbed. If a patient is sleeping, we do not wake them. We just quietly complete report by the door.

[kms6417]

What tool do you use to give report from?

[kms6417]

What's the difference between exchanging this info "by the door" or at the nurses station where I can rest my weary 58 yr old legs?

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

What's the difference between exchanging this info "by the door" or at the nurses station where I can rest my weary 58 yr old legs?

Nothing really, except it appeases management when they see us at the door rather than at the desk. I guess they figure we are either getting ready to go in or coming out.

[happy_life]

I hate bedside report for all the aforementioned reasons.

However, to answer your question:

I have never worked mother baby, but have done bs report on a Med/surg psych floor and ICU. When I worked the psych floor, we handled sensitive information by giving most of the report at the bedside and then going outside the room to quietly discuss sensitive information out of the patient's hearing.

I don't really think the method of writing down report matters whether it's a kardex or a blank report sheet. Every nurse will find their own way of writing down report.