Effective Nursing Handoffs: Improving Communication with Other Units

When a patient has an x-ray, surgery or other test scheduled, his primary nurse calls in a report to the nurse that will take care of the patient during the procedure. The nurse gives report in advance of the scheduled procedure using a Communication Hand-off Report form. The hand-off form allows nurses to communicate pertinent patient information in a concise and structured way.

Things You'll Need

• Communication hand-off sheet

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Instructions

• 1

  Give the department nurse your name, job title and the name of the floor from which you are calling. State the patient's name, admission date and medical record number.

• 2

  Confirm the type of test or procedure the patient will receive. Specify whether the patient has had anything to eat, as this could jeopardize test results or postpone procedures.

• 3

  State the diagnosis of the patient and his current vital signs. In addition, specify if the patient requires pain medication or a sedative prior to the procedure. Mention any safety instructions such as medication allergies and fall precaution status.