McAllen, E.R., Stephens, K., Swanson-Biearman, B., Kerr, K., Whiteman, K (April 9, 2018) "Moving Shift Report to the Bedside: An Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Project" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 23, No. 2. Accessed 16 th Feb 2019 < http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-23-2018/No2-May-2018/Articles-Previous-Topics/Moving-Shift-Report-to-the-Bedside.html>
Change in nurses’ shifts is one of the most important procedures in care since it influences the quality of care and patient satisfaction. In the article by McAllen et al (2018), the research explores the impact of having bedside shift reports (BSR) in the reduction of patient falls and an increase in patient and nurse satisfaction. Given that institutions are looking to ensure that their environments are safe for patient in order to enhance the health outcomes, changing the location of the shift report has been identified as one of the best practices in change of shift by nurses. The shift report is traditionally located nurse station. However, the best practice requires the report to be placed on the bedside of patients. When the report is completed on the bedside, a nurse is able to assess and visualize the patient as well as the care plan. Accessing the BSR ensures that nurses are able communicate with their counterparts in a timely manner the care plan facilitating the delivery of safe and quality care.
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In the research involving a 532-bed teaching institution, the researchers concluded that there was a significant reduction in the rate of falls. In addition, patient satisfaction was also improved significantly as a result of the BSR. They enjoyed better care quality improving their health outcome. However, BSR did not increase the reporting time by nurses, and gave them more time to make reports, increasing nurses’ satisfaction in the process. The findings were obtained through audit tools, satisfaction surveys and obtaining data on the number of falls after BRS was implemented. SPSS was used for data analysis. The nurses were first trained before BRS was implemented. Once the nurses were compliant, the system was implemented. A total of 94 shift reports were collected during the study period, 46 before and 48 after the implementation. This enabled the researchers to compare the outcome after the implementation of the best practice. The research indicated that fall reduced by 24 percent 4 months after the implementation. The biggest reduction was observed in the orthopedic unit where there was a 55.6 percent reduction. There was also a 16.9 percent and 6.9 percent reduction in falls for both neuroscience and general surgery units.
The research findings supported the conclusion that BSR had a significant impact on the number of falls experienced by patients. This was an important development since falls increase the time of hospitalization, resulting in longer period before the desired health outcomes are achieved. The research findings indicate that having information about the care plan on the bedside increased nurses’ satisfaction since they were informed every time they engaged with a patient. However, on drawback was the perception that nurses took longer periods to fill the reports than usual. Nevertheless, most nurses felt that the added effort was worth it, considering the advantages obtained from the best practice. In addition, BRS enabled nurses to detected errors faster and earlier enhancing the care outcomes and quality of care. Therefore, when compared to the traditional method of shift reporting, the BSR was more efficient in ensuring patient safety and quality of care. However, further research is needed to iron out some of the challenges experienced with the best practice.
