How To Implement Bedside Report In The LTAC Hospitals

HOW TO IMPLEMENT BEDSIDE REPORT IN THE LTAC HOSPITALS
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How to Implement Bedside Report in the LTAC Hospitals
Introduction
The element of communication between care providers remains an important aspect of patient care. Accurate and constituent exchange of patient information is therefore posited as imperative in a bid to maintain patient focus, with this enshrined in promoting a culture of trust and safety. According to the Joint Commission, close to 80% of acute medical errors involve miscommunication between the care providers at handoff report. Given this, the Joint Commission initiated safety goals to improve the effectiveness of communication between the care providers, hence reduce medical errors. The need to improve health literacy in protecting patient safety as tailored by the Joint Commission, therefore, denotes the need to create organizational cultures of safety and quality in the dispensation of health care services in a patient-centered manner (Wakefield et al, 2012). Additionally, estimates provide that up to 4 out of 5 acute medical errors that include sentinel events such as severe physical or physiological injuries and deaths happen as a result of miscommunication between the care providers during handoffs. The implementation and hardwiring of bed shift reports are considered as a significant aspect that impacts these areas across an entire health organization. This paper, therefore, seeks to conduct a research study on the manner in which bedside reports can be efficiently implemented in LTAC hospitals and the manner in which this process benefits both the patients and the caregivers.
How to Implement Bedside Report in the LTAC Hospitals
Historically, nursing shift to shift reports were considered to occur way from the bedside at a patient care unit or a central nursing station. Given this, it is essential to understand that patient history, information, and plan of care are vital aspects to the care of a patient, with these details exchanged during the process of care. This traditional practice is constituted on a single way of communication from the off-going care providers to the oncoming nurses are considered to be lengthy, incomplete, and freighted with several interruptions. Nurses, in this case, turn frustrated with issues related to workflow, an aspect that makes them lose valuable time that would be better utilized and served at the bedside (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2013).
Handoff reports within the nurses’ station occur with no patient involvement, thus resulting in more errors and confusions about the diagnosis and treatment of patients. This results in an overall dissatisfaction in the exchange of information and communication between the nurses and the patients. Bedside reports are therefore effective in empowering the staffs, improving patient involvement and providing safer transitions of care between the care providers. It consequently establishes and promotes trustful relationships between the care providers and patients, aspects that serve as a foundation for teamwork.
Problem Statement:
Despite evidence-based practice and a few attempts at implementation, the nursing bedside shift-to-shift report is still not in regu...