Critical thinking is an important aspect of the nursing profession. One of the things it dictates is the need for sound communication systems. Every health facility needs to have a system in place for communication both between the nurses and between patients and nurses. For instance, the flow of information from a patient to a nurse then to another nurse needs to be handled with great care and precision. This is to prevent any miscommunication that would interfere or breakdown the treatment during the handover.
The importance of effective communication in the health facilities cannot be overemphasized enough. It is with this precedence the topic chosen for research is “The impact of Effective Communication on Nurse-Patient- Nurse Bedside Reporting. ” Close reviews of recent hand off approach by nurses in most hospitals indicate the glaring gap witnessed in communication standards between nurses and patient, a scenario that calls for change. A clear implementation of standard Nurse-patient-nurse procedure will only serve to reduce this uncalled for a scenario in the health care systems.
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This topic was selected to address the current state of poor communication standards in health facilities. Nurses handle critical information that should be treated carefully. Some of the information they get about patients include family history, patient background, their medical histories, and other relevant details. It is, however, baffling that some of the nurses do not apply good Nurse-Patient-Nurse communication. Poor communication systems can also result in patients giving incomplete information. Jeffries state that the desire for speedy disclosure of patient information and health history to the receiving nurse is attributed to by the fact that the patient, depending on his status, may not be able to disclose as much to the current treatment officer (Jeffries, 2005).
One of the resources used in this research is the Healthcare reform act of 2010. It has a clause stating that the patient is entitled to protection and affordable health care. The desire for opportunities to nurses to provide care and play a part in the bringing change in health care was catered for the in act. The 2010 Patient health care act also contains a clause on confidentiality over patient information in as much as the desire to implement nurse-patient-nurse protocol in place (Lewis, 2011).
This paper makes use a number of other sources that will be reviewed below in detail to research the topic further. The sources were obtained by performing keyword searches on databases especially nursing related ones. The databases that were utilized for the research are Pub Med, CINAHL(Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), The Cochrane Library, Wiley-Blackwell Online, Google Scholar, and SUMsearch. Certain search terms that are related to the topic of the research were used to search for the sources in the above databases. The keywords used include Patient-Nurse-Patient, Bedside reporting, nursing practices, patient satisfaction, bedside shift report, and nursing supervision.
Review
A variety of sources obtained from the databases were used in the research. These were selected on a basis of relevance to the topic, the authenticity of the sources, and the types of methods employed in the sources. The research was done by examining series of literature findings that all attributed to the nursing experience across the globe. The statistical proof of some research indicates the preference to the bedside reporting as one of the highly preferred methods of creating a deep relationship between the patient and the concerned nurses. Bedside report is one particular way of ensuring close monitoring of the patient progress and getting them playing a part in their recovery process. Below is a list of the sources utilized and their justification.
Lewis, A. (2011). Inspiring Patient Centered Care Through Bedside Reporting. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing , 40 (s1), S59-S59.
The author gives insight into how to inspire patient-centered care by use of bedside reporting. In the article, Lewis notes that there is a need to explain how nurses should handle patient information with discretion (Lewis, 2011). In Lewis’s research, a survey was conducted on patients to ascertain their response to nurse services. The research by Lewis (2011) clearly implies that with the report in place, nurses, are careful not to have a negative patient comment on them, thus a deeper rapport building is called for. Also, the report is constantly checked by the hospital management. Therefore, negative feedback would taint the nurse’s career progress.
Bearnson, C. S., &Wiker, K. M. (2005). Human patient simulators: A new face in baccalaureate nursing education at Brigham Young University. Journal of Nursing Education , 44(9), 421.
This piece explores the response of patients in relation to the treatment they receive from nurses. The research was conducted by use of a human patient simulator at the Brigham young university. If offers more insight that real life approaches in the creation of guidelines on planning and implementation of interventions, assessment of measurable responses displayed by the patient, and evaluation of the outcomes (Bearnson & Wiker, 2005).
Begat, I., Ellefsen, B., & Severinsson, E. (2005). Nurses’ satisfaction with their work environment and the outcomes of clinical nursing supervision on nurses’ experiences of well‐being–a Norwegian study. Journal of Nursing management , 13 (3), 221-230
The article acknowledges that nursing is a stressful profession. It analyses nurses’ satisfaction with their work, the differences in outcomes from their supervision and their moral sensitivity. The authored 71 nurses from two hospitals and presented them with questionnaires. The data obtained was analyzed by use of inferential and descriptive statistics.
Evans, D., Grunawalt, J., McClish, D., Wood, W., & Friese, C. R. (2012). Bedside Shift-to-Shift Nursing Report: Implementation and Outcomes. Medsurg Nursing , 21 (5), 281.
This article examines Shift-to-Shift nursing report as a form of bedside reporting. The authors give insight into how it works, its motivation, and its benefits to patients. The authors recommend that nursing records should provide for the continuation of patient care and possible outcomes.
Espinoza, D. C., Lopez-Saldana, A., & Stonestreet, J. S. (2009). The pivotal role of the nurse manager in healthy workplaces: implications for training and development. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly , 32 (4), 327-334.
This source was selected since it addresses the roles of administrators in the workplace. It addresses the roles they play and their importance in ensuring effective delivery of medical services by nurses. The authors conducted their research in various health organizations in an aim to find out the best practices by nurse managers to create a healthy working space. In regard to bedside reporting, the article provides critical information that defines administering of duties and setting of rules by the leader on the acceptable practices.
Jeffries, P. (2005). Technology trends in nursing education: Next steps. Journal of nursing education , 44 (1), 3-4.
In this article, Pamela Jeffries discusses the technological trends in nursing education. Technology is nowadays used for much medical training including the effects of different bedside reporting techniques and outcomes. Some of the technologies Jeffries discusses are patient simulations, handheld computers, and computer assisted instructions. The author suggests that if e is attributed to by the mere hnologies that can be used in bestween 2001 and 2013. the es.s in the above databases.
Sand‐Jecklin, K., & Sherman, J. (2014). A quantitative assessment of patient and nurse outcomes of bedside nursing report implementation. Journal of clinical nursing , 23 (19-20), 2854-2863.
What the authors aimed for the article was to quantify the quantitative outcomes of change from the normal form of bedside nursing report to a blended form. To complete the research, seven surgical units in big universities implanted a variety of bedside nursing reports that were also recorded. A number of factors were monitored such as satisfaction, over time, errors, and patient falls. The research suggests that there are some positive outcomes with a blended bedside shift report, but there were also a few drawbacks.
Manning, M. L. (2006). Improving clinical communication through structured conversation. Nursing Economics , 24 (5), 268.
In this source, Manning discusses on how to improve communication in health facilities by utilization of structured conversation. It is pointed out in the article that communication failures can often lead to medical errors. In the article, Manning advocates for a standard approach and tools that provide solutions to communication problems.
Maxson, P. M., Derby, K. M., Wrobleski, D. M., & Foss, D. M. (2012). Bedside nurse-to-nurse handoff promotes patient safety. Medsurg Nursing , 21 (3), 140.
Patient handoff when nursing shifts end is a ritual every nurse is conversant with. The article analyzes the best practices to promote patient safety when doing handoffs. To come up with the findings, a sample of 60 patients was used. 30 were after a change of practice while the other 30 were before the change of practice. The researchers found out that bedside nursing handoff greatly increased accountability of the staff and the satisfaction of patients.
Tan Jr, A. K. (2015). Emphasizing Caring Components in Nurse-Patient-Nurse Bedside Reporting. International Journal , 8 (1), 188.
Tan in his article aims at helping nurse managers create ways to promote effective nurse-patient-nurse handover. The research was done through comprehensive research of literature between 2001 and 2013. The EBSCO, Wiley-Blackwell Online, and B-Online databases were used. He concluded that the reporting could be an avenue for nurses to emphasize their caring components that are part of the career.
White, A., Allen, P., Goodwin, L., Breckinridge, D., Dowell, J., &Garvy, R. (2005). Infusing PDA technology into nursing education. Nurse Educator , 30 (4), 150-154.
The paper discusses the use of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) in the training of nurses. The study was conducted at Duke University where PDAs are used to prepare nursing students for their profession. He states the benefits of PDAs on the students and the faculty. Challenges faced with the use of the technology are also explored. PDA technology is one of the technologies that can be used in bedside reporting.
Findings
The Need for Patient Satisfaction and Personal Sensitivity
Once a nurse has created her personal satisfaction regarding his or her career, the patients appreciate their good services. In most cases, it is not new to have patients recommend themselves specific nurses that they would prefer to handle them. The patients tend to open up more as they grow closer and are fond of the nurses during the process of creating a deep relationship (Manning, 2006). During health research some patients report that the nurses treat them with courtesy and respect, this is attributed to the feeling that the nurses listen to them and pay attention to their requests and queries. The feeling of being cared for by nurses is contributed to by a number of factors. One of this is the fact that the nurses have particularly created self-satisfaction amongst themselves (White, Breckinridge, Dowell &Garvy, 2005).
The use of nurse-led innovations is some of the initiatives that need to be put in place to help with the recognition of the need for patient care. The starting of nurse-health clinics is just an approach designed to create the need for Trans Care Models (TCM). The Trans -care model provide the transitional base for passing over of one patient from one hand to the other. Research has shown that the use of the TCM model greatly helps patients to achieve a long-term health outcome. The application of this model has been adopted by many economies, both developed and developing in an attempt to create a clearly spelled nurse-patient-nurse relationship (Maxson et al., 2012).
Creating Trust Relationship Using Effective Communication
Good nursing practices need leadership role at each level. Leadership in nursing is attributed to the need for the creation of a deep relation and understanding between the patient and her nurse. Leadership at any point needs clear and well-articulated communication to the subjects. According to Manning (2006), nurses must believe that they can provide the desired health service to their patients and consequently create that level of confidence in them. As a leader, whenever talking to their patients, the nurses ought to know what the problem is about and constantly update their patients on the progress.
Maxson et al. (2012), explains that communication is not only relevant to the patients but also to the fellow nurses so as to be able to update each other on the changes in their patients’ progress. Consultation and frequent checkup are also called for to create a deeper understanding as to how and when the patient is free to leave the hospital for instance. Nurses also need to support each other during the period of transfer of a patient from one shaft to another, or, during the transfer of a patient from one hospital to the next.
Research has also indicated an improvement in the relationship between patients and nurses since the introduction of the bedside reporting routine. The article by Evans et al. (2012), shows that each and every day bedside reporting for the nurses helps create a bond and well-founded rapport that only works to help the nurses understand the needs of the patients clearly, at the same front enables patients to open up more about their issues.
Patients tend to drop the professional approach towards their nurses once they grow fond of them and in the end develop a more friendly approach. The reassurance that the patients develop even as they witness a safe transfer from one hand to another from their nurses also serves to increase their quick chance of recovery. With a well-planned hospital management, the feeling of care, love and trust is created by the nurses. The nurse-patient-nurse approach thus becomes more of team-work duty other than hospital initiative alone (Jeffries, 2005).
Nurse-Patient Bedside Report Interaction
In accordance with the article by Maxson et al. (2012), the bedside report in a major point of interaction between patients and their nurses in the majority of health facilities. Nurses have changed their perception about this report in a way that benefits the patient. The report has created accountability on nurses part in as far as the patients welfare is concerned. The initial misconceptions about the bedside report have been dispelled as it continues to be embraced in the wider scope of hospital elements. The perception that the report takes a huge amount of time has also been eliminated in the mind f nurses after patients’ column started working in their favor (Evans et al., 2012). Some patients were specific about their liking of the nurses and in this regards, the report worked in the nurses favor in as far as gaining recognition and support from the hospital management are concerned.
The bedside report has also embraced by the patients as an official communication channel with the doctors in charge. Recommendations, medication, and diet specifications are all indicated in the report. In this regard, the bedside report has been one of the very key ways by which the nurse-patient-nurse communication takes place, officially. For the physically challenged patients, this report speaks to them in regards health progress (Bearnson and Wiker, 2005).
Bedside report that is well implemented can also improve the patient satisfaction and the nurse self-esteem. A survey conducted also showed that only 5% of the reports sampled had negative feedback about the services of nurses on them. The research by Lewis (2011), clearly implies that wit the report in place, nurses, are careful not to have a negative patient comment on them, thus a deeper rapport building is called for. Also, the report is constantly checked by the hospital management. Therefore, negative feedback would taint the nurse’s career progress. In accordance to White et al. (2005) explanations, it is paramount that when doing nursing handover, since the report serves the greatest importance as it forms a reference point for which the incoming nurse shall be able to proceed with their patient care plan.
On the desire to improve the hospital communication process, the research conducted by Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal (JCPSG) came up to a conclusion that most communication between nurses and patient occurs during the handoffs. According to Jeffries (2005), the handoff moment is critical as it can compromise on the safety of the patient.
One outstanding benefits of bedside report is the increased involvement of the patient’s welfare. It is of significance to note that there is improved nurse understanding of their patients as they spend plenty of time with them during the handoff and the timely patient –checking moments (Espinoza, Lopez-Saldana, and Stonestreet, 2009). The bedside report has also coated an improved teamwork approach between nurses; in as far as the management and accountability of the patient’s improvement plan and progress are concerned. In the nurse-patient-nurse cycle, bedside reports play a huge role that cannot be easily swept aside.
Promotion of Interpersonal Teaching and Learning in Patient Involvement
A clear understanding of a patient’s nature, understanding, and perception about the treatments process helps the nurses to prepare an elaborate cognitive plan. In most cases, when nurses come up with an inter-personal teaching, the patients are always more actively involved and willing to learn all the way. The interpersonal environment always builds up during the handoff moments when the trio meets at the patient’s bed. Evans et al. (2012), indicates that interactive session helps the nurses to learn deeply about the patient and also helps them create a clearer understanding in the patient's mind concerning the recovery efforts put in place by the hospital for his benefit. Whenever nurses come up with a clearer inter-personal understanding between them and the patients, the patients tend to create deeper interest and more involvement in their treatment process and want to know their recovery progress.
According to Espinoza, Lopez-Saldana & Stone-street (2009), the interactive moment also allows the patient to take part in the decisions concerning their treatment. They are more concerned whenever they feel that the initial endeavors are not working for them. The patients are also able to come up with new ideas concerning the treatment process that they would prefer to the other. The teaching-learning environment cultivated by the nurse during handoff sessions drives more desire and ability on the patient’s part to want to know what can be done differently to ensure a better understanding of their treatment process (Maxson et al., 2012).
The constant bedside reporting not only provides the teaching and learning session between the patient and the nurse; it brings about a mentoring session at which point the nurse can share various inspiring moments with the patient through stories and experiences. The journal article by Sand‐Jecklin and Sherman (2014), says that nurses, by their work are required to provide inspiration for the patients under their care so as to enable them to see hope in the clinical activities they are undergoing. For instance, another study showed that majority of patients going for theater experiences are known to be resigned to their fate with the little hope of recovery; they are made t believe that death is a possibility. It is during the nurse-patient-nurse sessions that such patients are taken trough series of previous successful theater experiences by their respective nurses (Garvy, et al., 2005). A good nurse will allow their patient see the bright side of each experience they are going through in the treatment process.
Patients always appreciate being acknowledged as part of the treatment process. Tan (2015) explains that patients felt worthy and wanted, as a result, live in the hope of better days ahead. The bedside report provides a good chance for the occurrence of patient involvement in the entire process, and as such leads to an amicable recovery process.
Summary
Bedside interaction is the single-most best approach for engaging patients, with the view of creating an understanding between them and patients. Frequenting the patient’s bedside creates an agreement between them and the nurse on duty and ensures a deeper connection between the two parties which ultimately works to the benefit of the patient (Espinoza, Lopez-Saldana, and Stonestreet, 2009). The nurse-patient-nurse relationship is one best way for the hospitals to continue diagnosis with the full approval of the patient.
The bedside records also provide the patient with the needed level of confidence on the treatment he is undergoing. The patient will feel part of the decision and feel appreciated and acknowledged in the context of the entire process. According to Evans et al. (2012), Patients also want to know how well or poorly they are responding to the medication and as a result, the need for comprehensive records with the column for patient’s feedback and contribution is called off. Most patients are usually worried that their thought may never be taken into considerations given that they are not professionals in the medical field.
Redesigning nursing education to involve mentorship studies is an idea whose time has come. The engagement between the nurse and the patient is highly recommended to involve the input of both parties with the patients thought, and feelings put upfront. In many instances, the nurses take the know-it-all approach which aligns the patients to the periphery of wait and sees case (Tan, 2015). The aligning of the patients as research has shown may only work in derailing then recovery process for the patient himself. The desire for an elaborate method of association is required to ensure that the both the parties are contented with the treatment procedure (Sand‐Jecklin and Sherman, 2014).
The leadership role of nurses is not a small fact either. Nurses hold a huge part in determining the speed and length of recovery for the patient. It is advisable that nurses learn the rules of leadership and apply the same when working with patients (Maxson et al., 2012). This way, the nurses are not deterred from speaking and interacting with their patients closely. The patient-nurse association should not be entirely based on a senior-junior case. Mush as the nurse hold knowledge of the patients’ prescription; it is only important that he play a part in explaining to the patient some of the decisions and give hope for recovery.
Conclusion
The diversity of knowledge for the nurse work is important in ensuring that there is an amicable understanding between the nurse-patient-nurse sessions. A nurse is required to possess a myriad of knowledge, ranging from leadership, clinical knowledge and religious understanding and sensitivity. The religious understanding for the nurses informs the closeness of the two parties with the patient feeling drawn closer to her nurse. The handoff process brings three parties together, the outgoing nurse, the patient and the incoming nurse (Julie, et al., 2012). Handoff process takes place either during a change of shift due to the difference if hours of reporting and when a patient is transferred from one hospital to another. The handoff process is well managed with the help of the bedside record which is signed by each nurse during the attendance schedule.
Need for technology embrace in the nursing field is required so as to ensure that the there is a shift from the current hard copies kept by the patient’s bedside to be replaced with a more reliable technologically friendly facilities, probably bedside screens. Technology will also facilitate the handoff process especially helping the incoming to access the patients' information wirelessly before attending to them. The handoff process is also required in for several processes. The introduction of nursing technology will also help the patients to access treatment and diagnostic services overseas as the nurses can send patients’ files abroad. The need for a sensitive and well-managed nursing experience is also necessitated by the fact that plenty of unqualified nurses have emerged all over the continents, thus the call for tamper proof system during the online handoff process (Tan, 2015).
References
Lewis, A. (2011). Inspiring Patient Centered Care Through Bedside Reporting. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing , 40 (s1), S59-S59.
Bearnson, C. S., &Wiker, K. M. (2005). Human patient simulators: A new face in baccalaureate nursing education at Brigham Young University. Journal of Nursing Education , 44(9), 421.
Begat, I., Ellefsen, B., & Severinsson, E. (2005). Nurses’ satisfaction with their work environment and the outcomes of clinical nursing supervision on nurses’ experiences of well‐being–a Norwegian study. Journal of Nursing management , 13 (3), 221-230
Evans, D., Grunawalt, J., McClish, D., Wood, W., & Friese, C. R. (2012). Bedside Shift-to-Shift Nursing Report: Implementation and Outcomes. Medsurg Nursing , 21 (5), 281.
Espinoza, D. C., Lopez-Saldana, A., & Stonestreet, J. S. (2009). The pivotal role of the nurse manager in healthy workplaces: implications for training and development. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly , 32 (4), 327-334.
Jeffries, P. (2005). Technology trends in nursing education: Next steps. Journal of nursing education , 44 (1), 3-4.
Sand‐Jecklin, K., & Sherman, J. (2014). A quantitative assessment of patient and nurse outcomes of bedside nursing report implementation. Journal of clinical nursing , 23 (19-20), 2854-2863.
Manning, M. L. (2006). Improving clinical communication through structured conversation. Nursing Economics , 24 (5), 268.
Maxson, P. M., Derby, K. M., Wrobleski, D. M., & Foss, D. M. (2012). Bedside nurse-to-nurse handoff promotes patient safety. Medsurg Nursing , 21 (3), 140.
Tan, A. K. (2015). Emphasizing Caring Components in Nurse-Patient-Nurse Bedside Reporting. International Journal , 8 (1), 188.
White, A., Allen, P., Goodwin, L., Breckinridge, D., Dowell, J., &Garvy, R. (2005). Infusing PDA technology into nursing education. Nurse Educator , 30 (4), 150-154.
