Nurses Perceptions

Shift handoffs were included in The Joint Commission's 2009 National Patient Safety Goals, which requires that shift hand-offs must include up-to-date information about the care, treatment, current condition, and recent or anticipated changes with the patient. Bedside reporting addresses The Joint Commission's Goal 13, a safety strategy that encourages the patient's active involvement in care. The demand for quality care while caring for the sick population with multisystem complex diagnoses calls healthcare provides to look at ways to provide more efficient care while improving patient safety and outcomes. Bedside reporting is one nursing intervention which can be implemented to improve communication, increase patient safety and improve the quality of care. While on the surface the benefits of bedside reporting seem clear, some who have tried to implement bedside shift reports have faced significant challenges. This quality project surveyed 32 nurses on a trauma unit to determine their perceptions of bedside reporting following implementation over 2 years ago. Nurses were provided with a ten question survey based on a Likert scale of 1-5. One additional qualitative question asked nurses ‘perceptions and thoughts about the bedside reporting process. Results overall revealed that although many nurses were aware of the benefits of bedside reporting and its practical uses, most nurses still were hesitant with its daily practice. Despite strong evidence demonstrating the benefits of bedside reporting, many issues still remain regarding the sustainability after implementation.