Holidays in the Hospital: A Visiting Guide

The Christmas holidays can be the best time of the year for most but for those unable to spend it outside of the hospital it can be a sad, lonely, and frustrating time of the year. If you find that a loved one is stuck in the hospital this year, be sure to go the extra mile to make their holidays a bit better.

There are a few simple, easy things you can do to bring Christmas cheer to the hospital room. While it isn’t always possible to set up decorations, your presence or a thoughtful phone call is often enough to lift someone’s spirits. Take a look at these tips for visiting the hospital during the holiday season:

·       Stagger the Visits - No one person should be the visitor; everyone that is available should visit at separate times so the person that is in the hospital feels wanted. By staggering the visits, everyone has a chance to socialize with the patient and the patient is not overwhelmed with too many people.

·       Bring Festive Food – If it is ok with the attending doctor, bring food that reminds the patient of the season. Sometimes even setting a bowl of festively wrapped candy in the room for those in medical scrubs to munch on can bring a bit of pizzazz to bland walls.

·       Deck the Halls - Who says you can’t decorate the hospital room like you would at home? Ask the person what they think of the idea and what kind of decorations they want. There is no reason why it can’t be fun for them too! Just be sure that the hospital staff approves the décor you put up.

·       Use Technology Available - If there’s a chance you can’t come to the hospital, set up some form web-chat. A phone call is always a good choice as well.

·       Never Overdo It - Never overwhelm the loved one. Visitors are great but you don’t want to crowd him or her with a room full of visitors or a large string of visiting friends. Make sure there is some down time for the patient to get some breathing room.

As either a nurse, doctor, or even a former patient, what are some suggestions you have for those visiting loved ones in the hospital this season?

Advice for Leaving a Great Hand-Off Report

Hand-off reports are timely, consuming, and often considered to be one of the least enjoyable tasks of the nursing field. Yet almost every healthcare system relies on great hand-off reports to better help patients. While it takes time to write a great hand-off report, the benefits of doing so are numerous and help not only the patient but the team as well.

Handing off great reports, also known as change of shift reports, is one thing that most new nurses have to learn on their own as they start a new job. Most hospitals and other healthcare centers have their own procedures when it comes to reports.

To help you out, we have a few general tips that will increase the productivity and overall standard of your nurse-to-nurse reports.

1.     Cross Every ‘T” and Dot Every “I”. Making sure your report is complete is essential. Perfection in the medical world can save lives, as can details.

2.     Anticipate Every Question. If you ask yourself a question about a report, you can expect someone else will do so as well.

3.     Nursing Is A Job That Never Stops. This means that reports will always have to be updated, even if the update is a single item or many.

4.     Stay Organized. Not only should your workstation and scrubs be organized but so should your reports.

5.     Work As A Team. Everyone working together can only mean success. If there’s a system in place for reports, follow it.

Great reports are essential to a functioning, productive work place. Be sure to follow procedure when it comes to reports, and to record what you can. When you hand-off a great report, you are not only helping your patient but also your fellow co-workers.