[Skywatcher]

How do you define medically stable? Our policy and procedure requires patients to be medically stable before admission. Are there any guidelines or is it up to the various physicians to determine their version? Need help with this one. Thanks

[CashewLPN]

Hi Sky...
Good question...
Medically stable takes on a lot of subtle meanings...
for some MD's it means breathing with an occasional heart beat...

but... in reality, it means:
Vital Signs Stable(no funky BP's or peeps shooting PVC's while being bradycardic...and no temps over 100.5!)
EKG without critical rhythms... the EKG has to be the same from the last one taken, usually in a 48 hr period...
no funky apneas....
no PCA pumps
no acute bleeds anywhere.... (once they sent us one with an acute GI Bleed IN PROGRESS!!!)

I think thats about it... if anyone thinks of anything I've missed.... Fill it in!!
thats what we're here for!

--Barbara

[jhf0174]

Judging from some of the pts we've seen at our Rehab Hospital...it depends on what our census is at that time! Our pts are also supposed to be rehab- able, but if they are acute Alzheimers or medically unstable, it sure limits the amount of rehab that can be done