Why ICU needs its own sheet

A med-surg brain sheet falls apart in the ICU. You’ve got one or two patients, but each one carries the documentation load of five — multiple drips titrating to a number, a vent with settings you’re checking against an order, lines in three places, and an assessment that changes by the hour. A report sheet meant for four patients on a page just doesn’t have the room.

This one gives each patient a full page, organized the way critical care actually flows.

What’s on the ICU report sheet

• Top bar: name, age, room, code status, allergies, admitting diagnosis, and day of admission.
• Systems, head to toe: neuro (including sedation and pain scores), cardiac, respiratory with a dedicated vent box, GI/GU, skin, and lines.
• Drips section: space for each infusion, its concentration, current rate, and titration parameters — so you’re not flipping to the pump to remember where your levophed sits.
• Lines & access: central line, arterial line, drains, tubes, and the day each went in.
• Hourly grid: a column-per-hour strip for vitals, I&Os, and tasks across a 12-hour shift.
• To-do / pending: labs drawn, results you’re waiting on, and the question you keep meaning to ask the intensivist.

Tips for taking ICU report

• Start with the story, then the systems. Get the one-line “why they’re here and what’s the plan” before you dive into numbers, or the numbers won’t mean anything.
• Write your drips first. They’re the thing most likely to need action in your first hour. Get them down before anything else.
• Eyeball your lines during report. Confirm what’s in, where, and how old as the off-going nurse talks — that’s when central-line days and line questions are easiest to catch.

Looking for a different floor? Browse all the specialty report sheets, or check the step-up version on the way for PCU and tele.