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.