Too many screening questions?

[Emergent]

I believe healthcare is attempting to solve too many problems by implementing multiple screening questions. Individually, these questions are well-meaning attempts to address real problems. But, The sum total of the increasing amount of screening questions decreases the efficacy of each one.

I understand the intentions of each one individually, but the sum total is overkill. It seems like each year adds a new one. Suicide prevention, fall prevention, tuberculosis screening, abuse and neglect screening, tobacco, drug abuse, sexual carelessness. The more things that are added, the less efficacious the process becomes.

I don't know what the solution is, but adding new screenings is not helping our patient population in my opinion.

[CKPM2RN, ASN, EMT-P]

When I work as a medic, I love when the ED nurse asks my severely demented, 98-year-old patient if he's recently been out of the country. Cracks me up every time. I hate asking those questions.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I believe healthcare is attempting to solve too many problems by implementing multiple screening questions. Individually, these questions are well-meaning attempts to address real problems. But, The sum total of the increasing amount of screening questions decreases the efficacy of each one.

I understand the intentions of each one individually, but the sum total is overkill. It seems like each year adds a new one. Suicide prevention, fall prevention, tuberculosis screening, abuse and neglect screening, tobacco, drug abuse, sexual carelessness. The more things that are added, the less efficacious the process becomes.

I don't know what the solution is, but adding new screenings is not helping our patient population in my opinion.

As a patient, I've always felt that there were too danged many screening questions. Screening for abuse in front of a woman's partner is useless. Ditto screening for sexual carelessness. Not many of us are brave enough to sit there right next to the abuser who put us in the ER and respond in the affirmative. Fall prevention -- something that was relevant to me a few years ago during my knee replacement saga got lost in all the screening questions that DIDN't pertain -- tobacco, fall prevention, suicide prevention, sexual carelessness. I could have used some information about fall prevention (because neither I nor the DH were motivated to look it up -- my knee issues came on so gradually that we didn't think it pertained to us.)

This year, my new PCP had to "screen for" depression. She asked me if I was depressed and that was it. I know the symptoms of depression after 22 years with the DH who does suffer from it at times. But what if I didn't? Worse, she told me that she thought the screening question might have been motivated by big pharmaceutical companies wanting to sell more expensive anti-depressants.

I'm just grateful I work in CTSICU -- Most of our patients have already been screened BEFORE they go to the OR.

[bagladyrn, RN]

Imagine trying to complete these questions with a laboring woman. Really adds a whole new challenge when you're trying to fit the questions in between contractions.