Top advice for nurses in the new year

7. Five tips for a great hand-off report

Nurse-to-nurse report (change of shift or transfer of care) is an age-old skill that no one teaches you. It’s the source of concern for many in healthcare these days, but no one seems to take the time to spell out what makes a good report.

I remember reading that one of our certifying organizations is pushing for bedside hand-off reports—a study found that the hand-off report was the source of sentinel events or, at the very least, the place where healthcare professionals are missing important care delivery information.

Still, I do not remember anyone cultivating this skill with me. I remember as a new graduate someone telling me to give report the way I assess the patient, but they never gave me specifics on the what, when, why and why not (not to mention the pertinent and less useful information to include in your report). Let’s be honest here: Some nurses’ reports can be extremely lacking in information, while others are reading you the script from their next movie! Once again, there is no consistency.

I thought I’d give you some tips to make up a good hand-off report:

1. Always be prepared

• Be the Boy Scout (sorry, ladies). I approach giving report the same way I approach calling a physician. Have your ducks in a row, have all your information gathered and know what you want to say before you start saying it.

See the rest of the tips.

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