[sharrie]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Goldstein

Once they are out of our care, we no longer have a 'need to know'.

Wow that's really tough especially if the patients will be coming back to you post ICU. The one thing that I do like is checking up on my patients to see how they are doing.

[Virgo_RN]

Yes, once we are no longer assigned to that patient, the "need to know" does not exist. At our facility, we can look up any patient in the hospital, which is nice if you're getting a patient up from ED. Once they're in the computer system, you can look up their labs and diagnostics before they even get up to the floor.

Anyway, I'm off for a couple of days. Maybe he'll come back to our unit when he's doing better. I'll be able to look up what happened then, if I am assigned to care for him.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

Originally Posted by XB9S

Wow that's really tough especially if the patients will be coming back to you post ICU. The one thing that I do like is checking up on my patients to see how they are doing.

If they're coming back, then ICU will give you a report. Checking up on former patients to see how they're doing is violating privacy.

[Virgo_RN]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Goldstein

If they're coming back, then ICU will give you a report. Checking up on former patients to see how they're doing is violating privacy.

This is true.

The only time I have popped my head in to say hello to a former patient has been a couple of times, when I took care of someone the night before their open heart surgery. I might pop my head in to their room a couple of days post op to say hello and give them some encouragement, but I am not looking in their chart nor asking any questions related to their medical status. Plus they are on the same unit where I work, so I am not going to another unit to seek them out. And of course, I only say hello from the doorway, and only if the door is open. I do not knock on closed doors nor enter the room unless invited. Usually if I do see a former patient, it's when they're ambulating in the halls, and they seek out all the nurses they know to say hello.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

Originally Posted by NancyNurse08

This is true.

The only time I have popped my head in to say hello to a former patient has been a couple of times, when I took care of someone the night before their open heart surgery. I might pop my head in to their room a couple of days post op to say hello and give them some encouragement, but I am not looking in their chart nor asking any questions related to their medical status. Plus they are on the same unit where I work, so I am not going to another unit to seek them out. And of course, I only say hello from the doorway, and only if the door is open. I do not knock on closed doors nor enter the room unless invited. Usually if I do see a former patient, it's when they're ambulating in the halls, and they seek out all the nurses they know to say hello.

I agree; I've had patients have mention me or asked to see me, I take that as permission to stop in and say 'hello' if appropriate. In my specialty, we will see them on repeated admissions in any case.

[beachmom]

Good job for recognizing the sepsis!
I hope you are my nurse when I'm sick!

One of the big things I don't like about my job is not knowing what happens to the pts after they leave me.