Summary: Improving The Role Of Communication In Nursing Care

The patient has the right to every aspect of their care and this includes being involved in the change-of-shift bedside report. The purpose of this study is to identify the benefits of bedside report and its impact on patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of care. The participants of this study were randomly selected and of varying ages. The methodology utilized in this study is a qualitative and quantitative research. The results of the study will determine the benefits of incorporating bedside report into nursing care.

The shift report is an integral component of patient care due to the fact that it advances patient safety and maintains continuity of care. Shift reporting promotes best practices through communication among nursing staff, therefore, promoting professional socialization. Furthermore, shift report influences staff retention and quality of patient care by improving informational, social and organizational functions. The expertise and knowledge in shift reporting can be used to promote interdependence and teamwork. When compared to traditional reporting, bedside shift reporting has such advantages as enhancing time management, social interaction, peer support and procedural training. Shift reports taken and given at the bedside benefit patients as well. Many patients have expressed improved satisfaction and nursing accountability with bedside shift reports. For instance, an orthopedic unit manager, who dropped the traditional staffroom reporting and handover and replaced it with a patient-led system, reported increased patient satisfaction because her patients felt that they were in control.

Verbal communication between the nurses during shift change or simply writing a progress report on the status of the patient does not cater to the needs of the patient, it is a mere communication method that is unreliable and nurse perception of the written report are often molded with bias and does not wholly represent the patient’s holistic health care needs. As dictated by Caruso (2007), “Change of shift signifies a time of carful communication in order to promote patient safety and best practices... [the risk exists of] relaying important information becomes muddled by irrelevant information instead...” (p.17). In essence, implementation of bedside nurse shift report/handover deems to provide the most opportune outcomes and focuses on patient-centered

Good communication skills improved the quality of care provided to patients. Nurses must have the ability to communicate clearly to patients and the healthcare team to avoid medical errors. Responsible nursing is not simply the ability to successfully carry out a series of routine procedures like dressing a wound, or administering medication; instead nurses must be able to communicate clearly to the entire health care team. For example, in the open-heart operation room, a patient was bleeding from the chest tube exit site. The normal protocol is to give blood products and wait in the OR for a few hours to make sure the bleeding has stopped, before bringing the patient into the PACU recovery room. The patient was given blood products, as a result the bleeding presumed to be

Holistic healthcare demands interpersonal collaboration within the nurses and the community for the excellent care of the patient. For example, for a patient suffering from a mental disorder, it is necessary for the nurses to collaborate with each other as well as with the social workers assigned to the patient and his family, which is true if the patient is also a guardian. (Wagner, Liston, & Miller, 2011). The nurses will have to take medical care of the patient while the social worker tends to his social needs such as the welfare of his family. Therefore, it is imperative that the nursing and social work personnel have good communication skills. Communication enhances teamwork that will lead to the caregivers sharing insights and ideas with

In order to incorporate the inter-shift report change to bedside shift report, the hospital’s unit leadership, specifically the clinical nurse leader as well as the nurse manager, will play a major role in incorporating bedside shift report. Also, a specific focus committee needs to be formed, involving the director of professional development and education, nursing stuff, the director of nursing, nursing leader and manager. The committee will make a plan of how to make this change as smooth as possible. The benefits of doing so are improved communication between RN’s and other healthcare professionals about the patient’s health care plan, patients will be informed about care and who is caring for them, which in the end will lead to safer care

In 2013, the Joint Commission, in an effort to improve quality of care and patient satisfaction, implemented a handbook and tools to transition to bedside shift reporting (AHRQ, 2013). Nursing shift reports historically have occurred in many formats like verbal reports, written, or recorded, but research supports taking the report to the patient’s bedside. Matter of fact, switching to a blend of verbal reporting and bedside reporting guided by a standardized communication tool like the Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR) structure allow patients and family to participate in the information and plan of care. Both qualitative and quantitative data have revealed improvements in patient safety, patient & family quality of care, nursing satisfaction, and accountability between nurses. One pilot study on performing shift reports at the bedside found a rise from 75% to 90% in patient satisfaction with nursing communication over a three month study period (Radtke, M., 2013). Change-of-shift report at the bedside, although a challenge for nursing staff, offers an opportunity to improve the experience of care by partnering with patients and families.

Mr. Comer was admitted to his local community hospital for respite care. He has suffered multiple, acute strokes in the past, which has left him with severe disabilities. These include paralysis rendering him immobile, aphasia (speech loss) and dysphagia (swallowing difficulties). He relies on carers for all normal activities required for daily living (Roper et al 1996) and is advised to have a pureed diet and thickened fluids.

Nurse to nurse shift report allows transferring important and determinant medical information. This information may influence many factors during patient’s stay in a medical facility. Some facilities, encouraged by changes implemented by government and regulatory agencies, have decided to explore new avenues. These interventions aim to increase their scores on patient satisfaction and improve patient safety issues while receiving their services. Bedside shift report, as a new intervention offers improvement on staff communication, patient involvement in care therefore, increasing scores in patient satisfaction and

Communication breakdowns in health centres can prompt postponements in treatment, genuine damage or even death. By giving attendants a protected communication framework that incorporates voice, content informing, email and videoconferencing, cell phones empower them to impart the correct data to the correct colleagues progressively.

Although there are existing English language proficiency tests approved by regulatory bodies to evaluate the language proficiency of IENs, the result does not usually correspond to the expectations of employers (Neiterman & Bourgeault, 2013). A stakeholder in the study of Neiterman and Bourgeault (2013) mentioned: “…And [often even if] they have passed their English assessment they are not seen as meeting the … level of functioning that the employer wants…” (p. 96). IENs who met the minimum qualifications to be considered as proficient in using the English language does not necessarily mean that they are already proficient communicating in the healthcare environment (Tregunno et al. 2009). Lum et al. (2015) indicated that communicating

The first phase of the project involved reviewing implementation survey. After analysis of the survey results, the nurse’s perceptions of the significant change to the practice of change-of-shift reporting guided the effort. Due to the organizational change to bedside shift report as part of an initiative to ensure that care practices are more patient centered, the primary outcome of interest would be an increase in nurse compliance and satisfaction with the change. Also of interest was compliance of the nursing staff with the requirement to incorporate the evidence-based practice of bedside shift report into daily operations. Palumbo (20130 “Bedside shift report is a significant change in practice, and the support of nursing management and staff involvement are essential to the success of the change process”. They need to have a formal structure as noted by Athwal, Fields, and Wagnell (2009) “shift reports that lack a formal structure and guidelines can lead to inefficiencies and the sharing of irrelevant and inadequate information” (p.143).

As nurses at times we found ourselves in complicated dilemmas. In this scenario the wife is asking to basically do the job with not patient interaction. It is hard for a nurse to offer the best care without interaction with the patient. I am a firm believer that patients should not be lied when it comes to the treatment even thought is the the last stage of live. In hospice is essential to gave a good communication with the patient because the patient is the one that knows hows comfortable he or she wants to be (Walker & Breitsameter,

At my workplace, we were having similar problem where nurses were not completing their charting, especially close to end of shift. The unit manager combat this issue by reminding everyone at the hurdles that corrective actions will be given to noncompliant individuals. Also reminders are posted throughout the unit to remind everyone that they need to chart the vital signs every hour and heart sounds and neurological status every four hours. The charge nurse is also responsible for ensuring that everyone is in compliance. According to Wang, Hailey, and Yu (2011), “quality nursing documentation promotes structured, consistent and effective communication between caregivers and facilitates continuity and individuality of care and safety of patients”

Therapeutic Communication has a huge impact on patients, whether, we, as nurses, see it or not. It is very important for a nurse to gain a patient’s trust. Many patients are already filled with sadness, nervousness and unsure thoughts of their current situation. Such thoughts may make a person scared to trust or open up to a nurse or doctor. Developing a close rapport with a patient can help to create a safe, warming environment, resulting in a positive experience throughout their time in the hospital or even nursing home. In “Therapeutic Communication”, Anna Lauria opens saying, “What we say or do not say can influence whether a client is able to quiet his mind, relax his body and initiate a healing response” (Lauria). Being a nurse, we automatically have the opportunity to create a strong influence on patients’ lives during, and even after, their hospital experience.