Nursing Communication Tools
Communication breakdowns can be a root cause in many adverse events in healthcare. Therefore, developing processes to improve communication among staff is an important aspect of any patient safety program. Tools are provided in this section to help improve communication at critical transfers of patient care.
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Sample Bedside Shift Report Letter
Provides verbiage that can be given to patients upon their admission to your healthcare organization explaining the bedside shift report process.
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Bedside Shift Report Guidelines and Key Words
Guidelines for the bedside shift report process can increase patient safety and improve quality of care.
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Bedside Shift Report Tips
Tips to successfully hardwire bedside shift reports in your organization.
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Bedside Shift Report: Framework for Communication
A framework for communication between members of the healthcare team during bedside shift report.
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Article: Bedside Shift Report Improves Patient Safety and Nurse Accountability
This article provides evidence-based practices regarding how bedside shift report improves patient safety.
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SBAR Communication Tool
Guidelines for how to communicate patient information to the physician in a succinct and effective format.
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Patient Ticket to Ride
A template for your organization that provides immediate critical patient safety information to accompany patients leaving the unit.
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Handoffs in the Postoperative Anesthesia Care Unit: Use of a Checklist for Transfer of Care
Provides information regarding the need to have a standardized process for handoffs in the PACU patient care area.