Writing Skills important for an RN

[mycatmax]

Hi! I am writing an essay on why writing skills are necessary to successfully fullfill the nurse role. I have been brainstorming for HOURS! I guess I finally came to the conclusion (after doing some rapid writing) that my thesis would be something about writing skills and maintaining patient safety. But I am NOT limiting myself to that at this point. Things I can up with so far...

*reading previous nursing notes helps to evaluate whether patients are meeting their outcomes or how they are responding to treatments

*developing policies and procedures

*writing skills have the ability to influence what decisions people make about you

But I think my main focus might be patient safety and staff nurse's documentation.

Just wondering if anyone had some suggestions for me as to why writing skills are important for a nurse. I have only been an RN for 3 months and I am VERY stuck.

Thanks in advance!

[cmo421]

Clear,concise,readable,fluid notes can CYA in many legal cases and also help with continuity of care. Nurses spend so much time documenting, I have a friend whose notes and timetable in them saved her from a huge lawsuit. Also when doing discharge instructions or documentation in homecare etc,,,it can be the difference in payment or non payment by third party billing.

[happybunny1970]

Clear,concise,readable,fluid notes can CYA in many legal cases and also help with continuity of care. Nurses spend so much time documenting, I have a friend whose notes and timetable in them saved her from a huge lawsuit. Also when doing discharge instructions or documentation in homecare etc,,,it can be the difference in payment or non payment by third party billing.

YES!!! It is important to have the ability to report current patient conditions in such a fashion that any other healthcare professional reading your charting gets a clear picture of the situation. Choosing appropriate wording can make all the difference.

And while we're here, let me throw in a word or two about spelling and grammar-- we're PROFESSIONALS. We're college-educated. We should appear as such.

[leslymill]

Nursing documentation provides a means of communication between members of the health team involved in the care of the patient. It facilitate coordination, planning, continuity and documentation of care. It provides data for research, education and planning. In addition to meeting legal requirements, accurate and complete records serve as a means of communication about the patient’s problems among the health workers; contributes essential information for evaluation and planning for continuity of care; provides data for research, educational and statistical purposes. The licensing or certification of a facility may depend on the information contained or lacking in the patient record; as may a liability suit be won or lost by the quality of information. The patient record is used for reimbursement information. The more skilled the writing ability of the nurse, the more accurate, complete and viable her documentation will be perceived and therefore valued.

[Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN]

Hi! I am writing an essay on why writing skills are necessary to successfully fullfill the nurse role. I have been brainstorming for HOURS! I guess I finally came to the conclusion (after doing some rapid writing) that my thesis would be something about writing skills and maintaining patient safety. But I am NOT limiting myself to that at this point. Things I can up with so far...

*reading previous nursing notes helps to evaluate whether patients are meeting their outcomes or how they are responding to treatments

*developing policies and procedures

*writing skills have the ability to influence what decisions people make about you

But I think my main focus might be patient safety and staff nurse's documentation.

Just wondering if anyone had some suggestions for me as to why writing skills are important for a nurse. I have only been an RN for 3 months and I am VERY stuck.

Thanks in advance!

I agree with everything that the above posters have said and want to add that if you are ever called upon to recollect a patient and are asked "what did you do for this patient?", it's all right there, from the bedbath to the teaching about the norvasc to the phone call to security when the patient's second cousin decides to show up drunk and try to drink some IV bags (didn't happen, but I've seen stranger things).

Also, like it or not, we are still trying to carve out our niche among our fellow medical professionals. We need to keep publishing our own research and maintaining our own scope of practice, which includes consise documentation. Writing skills are a given in our profession since it is the only way to communicate progress and provide the information for evidence based practice.

Hope this helps - and I'd like to read that essay too.

Blee

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Part of the nurse role is to educate others. This is often done through written handouts on health topics (for patients) and journal articles (for colleagues). It is essential that these educational materials be well-written. No one is going to take it seriously if the author has poor writing skills.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

In order to write clearly, you have to think clearly!

[vashtee, RN]

I agree that it is important to be able to write well. However, it is equally important to write legibly. I wish someone would teach this to the physicians. :)

[WinstonWolf]

At my facility, when we need something non-emergent from a specific doc, we have these bright green "physician communication" forms that we can use to request evaluation of meds, diet, or whatever else we feel may improve a pt's condition but may not be a safety issue which warrants a stat page. It's used mostly when we know the doc will be rounding later on and just want to make sure they receive a specific request from the nurse. These obviously must be well-written as the nurse may not be available to clarify the request depending on when the doc makes his/her rounds.

[leslie :-D]

writing skills are essential in nursing.

lack of these skills, can cost a pt their life and cost a nurse, their profession.

communication is a skill that one should always strive to master...whether it is verbal or written.

leslie