does bedside shift report improve patient care, and does it support patient safety?

by Hollie Littel 7 min read

Bedside shift reports: what does the evidence say?

17 hours ago Models of bedside report incorporating the patient into the triad have been shown to increase patient engagement and enhance caregiver support and education. Nurse shift reports and nurse handovers are 2 of the most critical processes in patient care that can support patient safety and reduce medical errors in the United States. Nurses continue ... >> Go To The Portal


Research has shown that the implementation of bedside report has increased patient safety and patient and nurse satisfaction. An evidence-based practice change incorporating bedside report into standard nursing care was implemented and evaluated over a four-month time period on three nursing units.Apr 9, 2018

Why is bedside report so important?

Nurses have raised some concerns when it comes to BSR, namely:

  • unknown visitors or family in the room
  • disclosure of new diagnoses or lab information that a healthcare provider hasn't yet discussed with patient
  • patient sleeping
  • patient unable to participate due to cognitive or sensory limitations
  • questions from patient that need lengthy clarification, increasing report time

More items...

What is bedside shift report?

  • Nurse Bedside Shift Report: What is it? ...
  • Bedside Shift Report Checklist -- Checklist that highlights the elements required to complete bedside shift report. ...
  • Nurse Bedside Shift Report Training -- Slides and talking points used to train nurses to conduct a bedside shift report and to help them understand how to engage patients and ...

Why is bedside shift report?

Shift report, when completed at the patient bedside, allows the nurse to visualize and assess the patient and the environment, as well as communicate with and involve the patient in the plan of care. Bedside shift report (BSR) enables accurate and timely communication between nurses, includes the patient in care, and is paramount to the delivery of safe, high quality care.

What is shift to shift report?

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How does bedside shift report improve patient safety?

It puts patients at the center of communication and permits them to collaborate and participate in their own recovery. Bedside reporting encourages teamwork and accountability of staff and is safer for the patient because it increases the quality of hospital care.

What is the purpose of bedside shift report?

Patients and families can play a role to make sure these transitions in care are safe and effective. Strategy 3: Nurse Bedside Shift Report helps ensure the safe handoff of care between nurses by involving the patient and family.

How can you improve the quality of patient care and patient safety?

5 Patient-Centered Strategies to Improve Patient SafetyAllow patients access to EHR data, clinician notes. ... Care for hospital environment. ... Create a safe patient experience. ... Create simple and timely appointment scheduling. ... Encourage family and caregiver engagement.

Why bedside handovers can be better for patients?

Bedside handover may improve patient participation, which may result in better experience (McMurray et al., 2011) giving the patient a feeling of accessible care and patient satisfaction (Mako et al., 2016) and patients can contribute information during the process which will improve quality of care and patient safety ...

What is the purpose of a shift report?

Shift reports help improve communication between coworkers or team members, and they ensure proper execution, control and oversight. Managers use shift reports to pass information about proceedings that take place during a specific shift to others.

What is bedside handoff report?

Nurse bedside shift report, or handoff, has been defined in the literature as a process of exchanging vital patient information, responsibility, and accountability between the off-going and oncoming nurses in an effort to ensure safe continuity of care and the delivery of best clinical practices.2-6 There are different ...

How do nurses promote patient safety and improve quality at your workplace?

Educating patients on their post-discharge care is a simple, yet effective, example of how nurses can improve patient safety. By working with patients to ensure they have a thorough understanding of their medical condition and self-care routine before they are discharged, nurses help facilitate a smooth recovery.

Why is quality improvement important for patient safety?

Overall improving the quality and performance in the healthcare environment can help providers with reliable, cost-effective and sustained healthcare processes and enable them to achieve their goal of improving care delivery and enhancing patient outcomes.

How do you provide safe patient care?

5 Factors that can help improve patient safety in hospitalsUse monitoring technology. ... Make sure patients understand their treatment. ... Verify all medical procedures. ... Follow proper handwashing procedures. ... Promote a team atmosphere.

How do you improve patient handover?

Here are five tips to polish your handover technique:Be organised. Try to follow an organised sequence when handing over: patient details, presenting complaint, significant history, treatment and plan of care. ... Stay focused. Stay relevant. ... Communicate clearly. Be concise and speak clearly. ... Be patient-centred. ... Allow time.

How do I improve my bedside handover?

Yet a simple strategy to improve communication is to bring the report to the patient's bedside. This facilitates earlier connection between the oncoming nurse and the patient and presents an opportunity for the patient to ask questions and clarify information with both nurses.

What is bedside handover in nursing?

Bedside handover: direct patient handover that occurs at the patient's bedside and includes patients and parents/ carers. EMR Review: process of working through the EMR activities to collect pertinent patient details.

How does BSR work?

How (and why) BSR works. By definition, BSR is the change-of-shift report between the offgoing nurse and the oncoming nurse that takes place at the bedside. This makes patients a part of the process in the delivery of their care.

What is a SBAR board?

The SBAR communication tool can be adapted for BSR as follows. A dry erase board placed in the patient's line of vision can be used to convey information such as the names of nurses and healthcare providers and to highlight the patient's goal for the day.

How does BSR help nurses?

The advantages for the nurse begin with the efficiency of report, which streamlines all pertinent information and saves nursing time. BSR improves staff's teamwork by giving nurses the opportunity to work together at the bedside, ensuring accountability. Using a standardized format reduces the risk of miscommunication because it overcomes different communication styles. Better communication also helps the oncoming nurse prioritize assignments according to need. The nurse is informed about the patient earlier in the shift because report time is shortened. Nurses are always on the same page during the report because they're both looking at the same information at the same time. 12

Why is BSR important in nursing?

Because nurses are the first line of defense when it comes to patient safety, BSR is an integral part of the care plan. The nurse is accountable for the communication that occurs during the change-of-shift report.

How many people died from BSR in 2010?

According to the Inspector General Office, Health and Human Services Department, less-than-competent hospital care contributed to the deaths of 180,000 Medicare patients in 2010. However, the real number may be higher: According to one estimate, between 210,000 and 440,000 patients who go to ...

What is the AHRQ?

The AHRQ has an evidence-based guide to help hospitals work with patients and families to improve quality and safety. This guide has four strategies that help hospitals partner with patients. Strategy 3 states: “The goal of the Nurse Bedside Shift Report strategy is to help ensure the safe handoff of care between nurses by involving the patient and family. The patient defines who their family is and who can take part in bedside shift report.” 7

Why are nurses always on the same page during the report?

Nurses are always on the same page during the report because they're both looking at the same information at the same time. 12. The patient benefits from BSR too.

What is centralized report?

Centralized reports, from the patient perspective. Most patients want to be part of their healthcare experience. But many complain that report occurring away from the bedside makes them feel alone, like they’re just another cog in the healthcare wheel.

Where is a BSR carried out?

In many facilities, bedside shift report (BSR) is carried out behind closed doors, either at the nurse’s station or in a private office. Some healthcare organizations even allow nurses to record their reports for the next shift to listen to later. But a growing body of research indicates that shift report away from the bedside isn’t ideal for safe, ...

Is it safe to shift a report away from the bedside?

But a growing body of research indicates that shift report away from the bedside isn’t ideal for safe, effective patient care. Patients don’t feel included when report is centralized, and errors leading to patient harm are more likely to occur.