Communication is a key aspect in providing effective patient-centered care. Communication breakdown is the leading cause of medical errors such as gaps in healthcare, incomplete or missing information, and medication errors (Friesen, White, & Byers, 2008, p.286). A research study done by a number of surgeons found that “43 percent of incidents,” were related to communication breakdown and “two-thirds of these communication issues were related to handoff issues” (Friesen et al., 2008, p. 286). Therefore, transfer of accurate information about a patient from one healthcare provider to another is a critical part of a nurse’s responsibility and a vital factor for communication in healthcare (Friesen et al., 2008, p. 285). This transfer of care
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290). Debriefing is defined as “information-sharing and event-processing session conducted as a conversation between peers” (Hanna & Romana, 2007, p. 39). For example, if a patient showed signs of imminent clinical deterioration or had an incident of falling, it is imperative to discuss this information with the oncoming nurse. This will ensure that appropriate actions are taken in the future to avoid the recurrence of a similar episode from occurring again. Not only does verbal report allow for face-to-face interaction and allow time to discuss/debrief patient information, but it also allows time for clarification during report (Friesen et al., 2008, p. 290). There is a lot of important information that is being shared during verbal report, including patient’s overall status, medications, lab values, doctor’s orders, discomfort or pain, skin abnormalities, mobility, procedures performed, consultations, plan of care, diagnostic tests, etc. It is evident that discussing this vast amount of information can cause some confusion or misunderstanding, especially when receiving a report on four to five patients at a time. Clarification of information might be needed by the receiving nurse if unsure about something that was shared in the report, or if patient’s condition has deteriorated. This will help to prevent any …show more content…
Even though verbal reports allow discussion and cross-checking with the receiving nurse to ensure that information has been understood, just relying on your memory is not sufficient enough. Our short-term memory is limited and lapses might occur when vast amount of information is communicated all at once during a handoff (Friesen et al., 2008, p. 302). Additionally, research has proven that just using verbal report during handoff can lead to poor retention of information and loss of critical patient information (Friesen et al., 2008, p 294). Nurses should reduce relying on memory during report to promote patient safety. For example, a reporting nurse communicated to the receiving nurse that the patient’s Troponin levels were high. However, the receiving nurse forgot to page the doctor regarding this critical lab value. Evidently, it causes a delay in treatment, which could mean the difference between life and death for the patient. I believe that implementing verbal report while using a preprinted sheet containing patient information would be the most effective measure to improve patient
290). Debriefing is defined as “information-sharing and event-processing session conducted as a conversation between peers” (Hanna & Romana, 2007, p. 39). For example, if a patient showed signs of imminent clinical deterioration or had an incident of falling, it is imperative to discuss this information with the oncoming nurse. This will ensure that appropriate actions are taken in the future to avoid the recurrence of a similar episode from occurring again. Not only does verbal report allow for face-to-face interaction and allow time to discuss/debrief patient information, but it also allows time for clarification during report (Friesen et al., 2008, p. 290). There is a lot of important information that is being shared during verbal report, including patient’s overall status, medications, lab values, doctor’s orders, discomfort or pain, skin abnormalities, mobility, procedures performed, consultations, plan of care, diagnostic tests, etc. It is evident that discussing this vast amount of information can cause some confusion or misunderstanding, especially when receiving a report on four to five patients at a time. Clarification of information might be needed by the receiving nurse if unsure about something that was shared in the report, or if patient’s condition has deteriorated. This will help to prevent any …show more content…
Even though verbal reports allow discussion and cross-checking with the receiving nurse to ensure that information has been understood, just relying on your memory is not sufficient enough. Our short-term memory is limited and lapses might occur when vast amount of information is communicated all at once during a handoff (Friesen et al., 2008, p. 302). Additionally, research has proven that just using verbal report during handoff can lead to poor retention of information and loss of critical patient information (Friesen et al., 2008, p 294). Nurses should reduce relying on memory during report to promote patient safety. For example, a reporting nurse communicated to the receiving nurse that the patient’s Troponin levels were high. However, the receiving nurse forgot to page the doctor regarding this critical lab value. Evidently, it causes a delay in treatment, which could mean the difference between life and death for the patient. I believe that implementing verbal report while using a preprinted sheet containing patient information would be the most effective measure to improve patient