ER report has to be fast. Your patients turn over in hours, half of them are “pending,” and the waiting room isn’t getting shorter. A good ER handoff answers five questions in under a minute per patient.

The five questions

1. Why are they here? Chief complaint, ESI level, and anything big in their history.
2. Are they stable? Latest vitals and any trend, especially if they changed.
3. What’s been done? IV access (size and site), labs drawn, imaging done, meds given and when.
4. What’s pending? Results, consults, repeat troponins, reassessments, a urine sample that’s “coming.”
5. Where are they going? Admit, discharge, transfer, or still deciding. Plus anything blocking it.

Don’t skip these

• Time-sensitive meds and when the next dose is due (antibiotics in sepsis, repeat pain meds, insulin).
• Safety: fall risk, suicide precautions, restraints, sitter, elopement risk.
• NPO status and why.
• Family: who’s here, who’s been updated, and who’s about to be upset.

Make it faster

• Keep a sheet with one box per patient, in the same layout every shift.
• Check off workup as it’s done, so “pending” is easy to read.
• Walk the board together when you can, so you can both see the rooms.

Follow your facility’s handoff policy and privacy rules. Shred paper report sheets after your shift.