Nurses give report twice a day, every day. The day shift gives report to the night shift; the night shift gives report to the day shift. Report is the time when very important information is passed from one nurse to another.
Information like:
*What drips are running and how they are being titrated
*Lab values, trends and when the next labs are due
*Whether we are wedging the Swan-Ganz catheter threaded into the patient's heart, or whether the physician thinks there is too big a risk of pulmonary artery rupture
*EKG's, upcoming tests and procedures
This information is being relayed by a nurse who is exhausted; they have halitosis and their hair looks like it was combed with an eggbeater. They're trying to keep their speech clear and comprehensible so they don't end up in the CT scanner.
Interrupting report is dangerous. Things get missed; errors increase. Distractions should be minimized. This includes family members walking up to ask for soda, a washcloth or to have their parking pass stamped.
If you work at McDonald's and you make a mistake, someone might get a hamburger rather than a cheeseburger. If you work in a hospital and you make a mistake, someone could die. The stress level is titanic.
Information like:
*What drips are running and how they are being titrated
*Lab values, trends and when the next labs are due
*Whether we are wedging the Swan-Ganz catheter threaded into the patient's heart, or whether the physician thinks there is too big a risk of pulmonary artery rupture
*EKG's, upcoming tests and procedures
This information is being relayed by a nurse who is exhausted; they have halitosis and their hair looks like it was combed with an eggbeater. They're trying to keep their speech clear and comprehensible so they don't end up in the CT scanner.
Interrupting report is dangerous. Things get missed; errors increase. Distractions should be minimized. This includes family members walking up to ask for soda, a washcloth or to have their parking pass stamped.
If you work at McDonald's and you make a mistake, someone might get a hamburger rather than a cheeseburger. If you work in a hospital and you make a mistake, someone could die. The stress level is titanic.
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