Do you run to bed alarms?

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

Specializes in ALF, Medical, ER.

Ok just curious and maybe its just me. I work in a 30 bed Med Unit. All patients that are at fall risk have their bed alarms put on. So lets say I'm at the other end of the unit and I hear a bed alarm go off. I will RUN to that room to make sure all is ok. Now granted, sometimes its the patient getting out of bed with assistance from a family member, PT getting the patient out of bed etc. and they forget to turn the alarm off before getting the patient up. Whereas the other aides I work with, and some of the nurses will walk quickly towards the alarm. My theory is I would hate that the one alarm I walk to be the one that the patient is ready to fall out of bed and if I had run like I normally do, I could have prevented a fall. However I think the nurses think I'm bonky or something for running lol. Do ya'll run or walk?

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I'm an LPN and I trot.

:)

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Specializes in Neuro/Med-Surg/Oncology.

I move quickly, but don't run. The risk of me running into someone or something else is far greater. If I'm hurt, I'm going to do the patient no good whatsoever.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I am also an LPN and I usually walk at a fast rate of speed. But there have been times where I ran and got yelled at(typically by the Charge Nurse) because "You're only supposed to run in emergencies". Uh, hello!!!! What the heck is a patient-with-big-safety/fall risks-who-is-setting-off-their-bed-alarm considered?? I know it's not a code, but the situation could get ugly if somebody doesn't respond stat. And like the original poster said, "I would hate that the one alarm I walk to be the one that the patient is ready to fall out of bed and if I had run like I normally do, I could have prevented a fall". Besides, instead of wasting precious time to stop me and explain why I shouldn't be running, that person(scolding me) could just as quickly gone to room xxx and made sure the patient was ok.

As I always say, I love my job.

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Specializes in Orthopedics.
Do ya'll run or walk?

I always run. I work on the night shift of an ortho unit and we always have people who are trying to get out of bed on their own when they shouldn't be. So the night shift ladies always run. The day shift, that's another story.

Once at change of shift, a bed alarm went off and the entire night shift got up to run. When we returned the day shift just looked at all of us and said, "isn't that cute?".

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Specializes in ER.

I'm too old and ugly to run.

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to be honest, no one on our floor runs to an alarm unless we know the person is in immediate risk of falling. I work on a cardiac unit and most of our pateints are self sufficient and they only get bed alarms put on until they first are able to prove they aren't a fall risk, which is about 90% of the floor. So when we hear an alarm, we usually just get to them as we can, now like I said, if we know it's a person who is 90 and confused we do get there much faster, but in general, we just kind of get there when we get there.

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.

I run. I work night shift on and ortho/neuro unit and we always have elderly pt's with Alzheimer's or are Demented. At night, everyone runs...unless they get floated to our unit and have never worked it before-- they learn quick. lol

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Specializes in MSN, FNP-BC.

The only time I will run at work is for a code. Other than that, the risks far outweigh the benefits.

On that note, I have worked on the intermediate care unit for 7 months and we have only had one person who has ever had their bed alarm on. The docs where I work will usually write orders for side rails x4.

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Specializes in ICU. Med/Surg: Ortho, Neuro, & Cardiac.

Lol. Run to a bed alarm, sprint to a code.

Actually, I'd never sprint to a code. I wouldn't want to have to stop compressions or whatnot because I'm too winded. I know there are others to take over, but if I had to stop because I sprinted there and not because I'd been doing compressions for 10 minutes, I'd be pissed at myself.

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Specializes in LTC.

I tend to respond to bed alarms at a brisk walk. If it's someone I know is unsteady I'll run.

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Specializes in Med Surg, ER, OR.

I always run to bed alarms and have prevented a number of falls becuase of that. I am the only one that runs to bed alarms, mainly because when a bed alarm goes off, the girls just look down the hallway and stand back becuase they know that I will be there in a matter of seconds. Our unit is about 275' long and I can usually make it from one end to the other in about 8secs at full sprint.

Always run to codes (unless pt is DNR, and we are trying to 'assist' them into death) as well! Should be that way wherever you are.

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