"Nothing About Me Without Me" is a new slogan rolling out at the hospital I now work at. It's about report, or shift change. Nurses exchange information about the patients they are caring for that would be important to know for the patient's safety and continuity of care. Bedside report, where nurses do this in front of the patient, is becoming more popular and is considered today's "best practice."
How does this apply to you? As a patient there shouldn't be surprises in the information the nurses are sharing. You should not be the last to know about upcoming procedures and tests. Sometimes information is clarified by you, information that might be important to your care. This keeps you in the center, and as we all strive for patient centered care... that's the idea!
Results not yet discussed with you by the doctor or practitioner attending to your case cannot be disclosed to you so it is okay if the RNs do not discuss that CT scan yet.
You should be expecting to meet your new nurse at shift change and hear a summary of your stay exchanged between them. If you have wounds or incisions they may examine those. Monitor alarms, machines, drips will be reviewed at this time. The new nurse will introduce him/herself and will develop a plan for the next shift of activity, meds, rounding, etc. Many hospitals now use rounding boards or information boards to assist in this as well.
What if you're not seeing this happen? Ask. Is this their policy. Can you be a part of the next shift change please? In or out of the hospital, you are in charge of your care and should be making the final decisions. Speak up for yourself! Be your own advocate! (shameless plug)
On the flip side you have a right to have your health information not be discussed in front of others. Nurses must discuss what is important to your care but it does not have to be in front of friends, family, or room mates. If this makes you uncomfortable, kindly ask them to step out.
A couple of links on bedside report for RNs and also good info for patients:
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
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