Sample Essay On Nurse To Nurse, Shift “Handoff” Report

Background information

Nursing is one of the key professions in the nation that needs thorough monitoring from the authority through the career’s regulatory bodies. Lack of effective staff communication in the career is causing problems since it has led to poor planning in various health institutions in the nation, especially in the ER rooms. The transfer of critical information and the accountability for the care of the patient from practitioner to another is an important aspect of communication in the healthcare. Therefore, the critical transfer point is usually referred to handoff. For instance, 43% of patients in Miami express their concern on the disadvantages of poor communication in the ER rooms of various hospitals (Friesen, White and Byers, 2005). Moreover, 65% of the populace urges the government to deal with the obstacle of poor communication in the health care (Daniel and Rosenstein, 2008). An effective handoff supports the evolution of significant and continuity of care and treatment in the health care. Thus, the paper highlights the effects of unsuccessful handoffs and the risks it bears to the health departments in the nation.

Why is this problem important to the site and nursing?

Staff communication problem is relevant to the site and the nursing fraternity because it has led to several problems in the health care department (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005). For instance, the lack of proper of communication among the ER nurses may a cause a medical fault for a certain patient undergoing surgery or requiring emergence treatment. Moreover, lack of proper communication may lead to the poor working relations among nurses and other staff members leading to inadequate delivery of services in the health sector. Moreover, in some acute clinics, physicians have failed to identify nurses responsible for their patients in the care. Therefore, this carelessness brings serious problems, especially in the ER where patients need special attention (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005).
How does this problem affect the staff/patient/ clients at the facility? (Or if in the past, how did this problem affect the staff/ patients in the previous facility?)
A majority of health workers who are used to poor communication have a culture of low expectations where they underperform their duties (Daniel and Rosenstein, 2008). For that reason, patients are prone to poor services leading to several deaths. Moreover, the poor communication culture may result in the short exchange of the information among health practitioners leading to medical errors due to the ignorance of the red flag and clinical discrepancies. For instance, in the ER where nurses and other physicians needs proper coordination to save the lives of the patients in danger, but they coordinate poorly. Consequently, many patients lose their lives in the ER due to improper communication and coordination (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005).

What is the current state of this problem in the health care?

The handoff issue has become unbridled until the Joint Commission on Accreditation of health organizations came up with a patient safety goal on handoffs to help patients, especially in the ER rooms (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005). However, the handoff problems persist due to the complexity of the health care delivery. (Daniel and Rosenstein, 2008). Additionally, due to the lack of enough finances to purchase the modern communication materials, most hospitals are still experiencing the communication tribulations, which have claimed the lives of many patients.

Is it a problem in the country, globally, at other local organizations, or specifically in this facility?

The poor communication among hospital staffs is an overall difficulty since most nations are experiencing faulty medical services due to the obstacle (Friesen, White and Byers, 2005). Even if most countries are working towards eliminating the problem, their efforts are ineffective because of a massive public outcry due to the problem. Moreover, the vast number of deaths due to the obstacle portrays how the situation is dangerous in most nations.

Plans for searching for evidence-based solution to the problem

The proper coordination between nurses in the emergence rooms may be a proper solution to the problem. For instance, the outgoing nurse to alert the income nurse on patients situations in the ER rooms. Moreover, the government needs to monitor the ethics of ER nurses concerning how good they deliver their services to the patients in different hospitals (Friesen, White and Byers, 2005). Additionally, to reduce poor communication among nurses and other practitioners’, the health deliverers need to undertake the internal assessment of their workforce on the latest communication and technology. For that reason, ER nurses will have a good communication that may enable them to deliver their duties efficiently (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005). Moreover, the internal assessment will expose the seriousness of the matter and highlight the crucial areas where the ER nurses need to improve. A nursing unit schedule staffing coverage needs to allow shift change and minimize interpretations during the change of shift report (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005). For that reason, ER nurses and the subsidiary workers will be limited from leaving the nursing unit the report is complete to ensure all the phones are answered and patients are well attended (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005).

Whom you need to meet and investigate the problem further

I need to meet with the health stakeholder such as health providers, practitioners, insurance companies and clients to understand the impact of poor communication in hospitals (Poillon, 1999). Moreover, meeting with different groups will help in detecting various communication obstacles in the health fraternity. For that reason, the hospitals will have device different mechanisms of preventing them.
Discuss what your plans would be interviewing or surveying the staff, other departments, or other departments, or other disciplines if you were actually in charge of addressing this problem at a workplace/ facility
Through understanding the problems of poor communication in the health fraternity, I would ensure I have initiated effective communication by teaching the hospital staff, especially the ER nurses’ proper communication skills (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005). Therefore, good communication skills will ensure effective collaboration and teamwork among the health practitioners, which may lead to the delivery of quality services. Additionally, I will ensure that all hospitals have access to the modern technology. The latest technology will ensure the hospital workers have learned the need for effective communication; thus, leading to quality service delivery. I will ensure hospital follow the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health care rules of 2006, to ensure they deliver the required services, especially in the ER rooms where patients requires quality services (Friesen, White, and Byers, 2005).

How do you plan to search for actual research studies on the topic?

I will conduct a pure research on the subject through conducting interviews with the ER nurses in various and understand the handoffs they undergo with their patients (Friesen, White and Byers, 2005). Through the interview, I will have a vivid picture of effects of poor communication in the health sector.

References

Friesen, M, White, and Byers, J. (2005). Chapter 34; Handoffs: Implications for Nurses.
Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2649/
O’Daniel, M., & Rosenstein, A. H. (2008). Chapter 33. Professional communication and team
collaboration. Patient safety and quality: An evidence-based handbook for nurses. Patient safety and quality: An evidence-based handbook for nurses. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
Poillon, F. (1999). To Error is Human: Building a safer health system. Institute of medicine.
Pp. 1-7. Retrieved from http://iom.nationalacademies.org/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/1999/To-Err-is-Human/To%20Err%20is%20Human%201999%20%20report%20brief.pdf