[bettirn]

I currently work in a 10 bed TCU. Recently our manager commented that she believes we are over delivering care. Go figure. We work 12 hr. shifts and we head to toe assess our patients once per shift....twice a day. We obtain v.s. every 8 hours additionally. Due to some staffing crunch issues she thinks it may lighten our load if we could assess once a day and prn of course and change our v.s. to once a day. I volunteered to be part of a committee to investigate and see if we do have to do things as often as we are. The problem is that I am having a hard time finding any concrete answers anywhere. Does anyone know of a website or some source of info. to find these things out. Thanks in advance. Betsey

[piramides]

hello! my name is Teresa and I have worked in TCU x 4 years in Oakland california and we go by the hospital policy. patients have to be assessed q 4hrs (head to toe assessment) including vs of course. Some times we have to take VS more frequently depending on the patient condition. for examp if there is any abnormality you wil notified the physician and assess the patient as much as is needed. In our TCU we have no more than 3 patients and we work as a team, so is not difficult to do it. How many patients do you guys have?

[bettirn]

I think maybe it sounds like your TCU is more of a subacute floor. Ours is for patients that are discharged from the hospital, but not able to go home. We do agressive PT and OT rehab, as well as skilled care.

[Silverdragon102]

Moved to rehabilitation forum

[1studentnurse]

It really depends.

We're told by our rehab admin that the policy of our hospital is x assessments per 24 hour period (we have to have one every 12 hours documented at minimum). They actually want one every eight hours on our documentation, if we can do it.

What this means is that if night shift can't assess their people, then days and evenings must chart an assessment. Some people on evenings will not chart an assessment if nights and days charts one.

I chart my assessment (I work 8s) on everyone I can. I make sure if I cannot, that the patient did have at least two per the protocol. I have talked to other nurses about this, and they all tell me that if they are ever hauled into court, they want proof that the patient was alive at least at one point on their shift.

If they assessed them, and documented it, they have their proof.