Date of Award

Spring 5-7-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Emergency Management

Department

Nursing

College

College of Natural & Health Sciences

Committee Chair

Dr. Shelly Randall

Second Committee Member

Dr. Jennifer Helms

Third Committee Member

Dr. Terri McKown

Dean of Graduate College

Dr. Jeff Robertson

Abstract

One of the fundamental elements of nursing practice is the transfer of patient information from one provider to another known as a bedside report. However, an unstructured bedside report that occurs away from the bedside, places patient safety, quality of patient care, and patient satisfaction in jeopardy. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project is to determine if the implementation of bedside reporting in an acute care pediatric unit will: decrease preventable errors reported through an event reporting system known as Safety Tracker, increase patient satisfaction in provider communication, and improve nurse accountability. The study included a convenience sample of 65 inpatient bedside nurses on a 30-bed, acute care pediatric unit in a large urban hospital. The participants were recruited on a voluntarily basis and informed consent was obtained prior to the study. Data were collected through pre-and postquestionnaires. Each questionnaire included, demographic data and two open-ended questions relating to the new Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) bedside handoff reporting tool. Education regarding the pre-and postquestionnaires and the new SBAR handoff reporting tool was provided by the primary investigator. Fifty-five participants, or (85%) completed both questionnaires for comparison. Results of this QI project indicated participants liked the consistency and structure of the new SBAR reporting tool; however, barriers identified were arousing and discussing sensitive information at the patient’s bedside. Patient satisfaction scores increased from 68.4% to 75%.

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