Practicing Registered Nurses Perception of Change of Shift Report
Abstract
For years, it had been identified that communication failures during shift reports are a leading cause of sentinel events in the United States. Although patient safety is the focus for nursing staff, involvement of the (patients) plan of care is fast becoming an expectation of healthcare consumers. Based on the method of reporting, pertinent information may be lost in translation and in the handoff process of the patient from one shift to another. A consistent method of reporting would benefit not only the patients but the staff as well. This research study was developed to identify which methods of patient reporting Registered Nurses utilize and which method Registered Nurses perceive as the most and least preferred method of patient reporting. This research has the potential to heighten awareness of reporting methods, nurses' preferences, and nurses' perception of qualities related to a variety of methods. Healthcare workers have become more focused on patient safety in the past few years; this project is an effort to ensure nursing staff will adopt and maintain best practices in their method of patient reporting from shift to shift.