What do you want in a set up of a new room for an incoming patient?

Specialties MICU

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hey guys! i am currently a nursing student working in an MSICU as a nursing assistant part of our job is to get the room "set up" when an incoming patient is coming to the unit. I wanted to get other nurses opions and things you as nurses would want in the room. I figured I would give a list of things i put in the room and then everyone can add to it or make specific requests like say something specific if it is an open heart or a trauma patient.

the things i put in the room are:

-hook all suctions up with canister and lines

-get the leads ready by straightening out the cords and putting on the electrodes so their ready to put on when the patient arrives

-get BP cord set up

-get pulse OX cord set up

-i have a pack of restraints ready near the sink

-at least 2 set ok lanuerks (sp?, the long things for suction)

-a bag of normal saline

-swabs (for MRSA etc)

-bottle of irrigating water

-2 diffrent types of "needles" the big ones used for NG tubes and the other big one that doesnt have the long plastic tip on it

-a mannifold

-a container to collect an measure urine

-swabs for suctioning ( for oral care)

- a lopez valve

- all the regular patient care things (basin, sopa, wipes, peri care spray, powder, lotion, tissues, etc)

-a pack of crib pads ( the absorbent green pads)

-an irrigation bulb kit

-extra packets of 4x4's

-tape

*and i check all drawers to make sure the room is stocked with normal supplies

i cant think of everythign else i put in the room but that is an idea of what i first put in the room when i know the patient is coming up

what else should i put in the room to make the nurses life a little easier?

as a nursing student i kind of try to think like a nurse would while doing that and thinking what would i want in the room if i were getting a new patient into the ICU but since i am not a nurse yet i cant really think of everything

are there any specific things i need to place in a room if say there is a trauma coming up (ex. motorcycle accident) or say an open heart is coming?

thanks guys for all your help!

Specializes in Trauma, Critical Care.

It sounds like you have it fairly covered, but kudos for wanting to do a great job! Have you asked the nurses where you work?

Just off the top of my head of things I check. Make sure the "Christmas tree" is attached to the oxygen flow meter...heard a horror story about a coding patient on another unit that was bagged with room air because there was no Christmas tree. For that matter, an ambu bag and facemask are important to be in each room too. I also make sure there is at least 1 pressure cable. I like to have several iStat cartridges (to run stat bedside labs and ABGs on) at the bedside, too. Finally, I like the smell of powder on my patients, so I usually grab powder and the smell-good option lotion. :)

I usually wait until after I get report though to do anything more specific. If it's a trauma/low pressure/hypovolemia patient, I'll usually grab BOTH Liter bags of NS and LR (you can only infuse so much saline!)

Specializes in ICU.

Here's what else I do:

Zero the bed, lower it and put all the side rails down

Remove blanket, top sheet and extra pillows

Take the recliner out of the room (our bathrooms are big enough to put it in there)

Ensure there are flushes, IV tubing, etc.

Set up glucometer with strips, etc (and make sure it's QCd

IV pump and pole

And like Bec said, anything specialty once you listen to report (vent, art line/CVP set up, isolation cart, etc)

We set up our own rooms, so we usually have the advantage of knowing what kind of patient we are getting.

Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

Knowing the type of patient does help. For trauma patients it is helpful to have the bed covered in chucks for all of the blood. For me personally, I'm a kind of bare essentials to start off with and get certain supplies as I need them. I would eliminate half the things on your list without knowing what type of patient it is. For instance, why would you need a lopez valve on a post op fem-pop that needs vascular checks? By loading up the room it just wastes supplies because people rarely put things back and it just ends up as a bunch of clutter in the room.

vent is ready to go

Knowing the type of patient does help. For trauma patients it is helpful to have the bed covered in chucks for all of the blood. For me personally, I'm a kind of bare essentials to start off with and get certain supplies as I need them. I would eliminate half the things on your list without knowing what type of patient it is. For instance, why would you need a lopez valve on a post op fem-pop that needs vascular checks? By loading up the room it just wastes supplies because people rarely put things back and it just ends up as a bunch of clutter in the room.

^ This.

Unless they're doing CPR as they're coming up, usually you've got 10-15 minutes to get the room setup with whatever is absolutely necessary. For example, my A&Ox3 30 year old patient here for post-op monitoring doesn't need 2 suction setups, oral swabs, restraints, irrigating water, etc. That stuff really does just end up getting tossed into a drawer and sitting there until a contact bug patient comes in the room, at which point we end up throwing it all out for infection control reasons.

If you have a fresh GI bleed coming up, we may want 2 suction setups for an EGD, an NGT, cylinder and syringe and water for lavage, etc. You can put that in after the nurse has report and knows it will be needed.

Do the bare essentials like monitoring equipment, flushes, a ready and set glucometer, one suction setup, ambubag. Just what you need to get by, the rest you can scream out for if needed.

thanks everyone! i know it seems excessive to have all 3 suctions set up but as soon as a room is cleaned our unit wants our nursing assistant to have the room semi set up in the way that ALL suctions are set up and ready to go in an emergency, there is a BP cuff in the room, pack of restraints, electrodes, and a lankeur (sp?) for suction. All those things stay in the pack until a new patient comes up and and if say the restraints arent used which it seems like they are A LOT of the time because the patient is vented and we dont want them pulling the tube out then it is up to me as the nursing assistant to go and put back all un used items. The other things i mentioned are just things i have noticed a lot of nurses then run for once the patient is in the room so i just like to try and make their lifes a little easier by getting out some of the common things that are used such as the MRSA swabs to be sent off to see if they need to be made a contact and i noticed pretty much all nurses grab a bag of saline and get a line primed and ready to go with that.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

First, kudos to your for attempting to research to be pepared for a more efficient work environment

But so this "lankeur (sp?) for suction" has been bugging me. Do you mean Yankhauer? (aka rigid suction)...looks like this http://images.allegrocentral.com/3A/FB/Rigid-Yankauer-Suction-Catheter-Tube-Only-550903-PRODUCT-MEDIUM_IMAGE.jpg

Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

I'm jealous that y'all have powder available. It's a big no-no around here.

"Inhaled irritant" :rolleyes:

Specializes in Trauma, Critical Care.
I'm jealous that y'all have powder available. It's a big no-no around here.

"Inhaled irritant" :rolleyes:

We've been lectured and I'm just waiting for the day it gets taken away. We can't use it around catheters = higher chance of CAUTIs. Doesn't stop me from putting it in their pits and socks :)

yeah i agree don't bring a bunch of stuff into the room. if the patient is sick the last thing you want is a bunch of cleaning supplies getting in the way. you can get that stuff when you need it..

i don't like to wait until the patient is throwing up or getting intubated to find that none of the suctions work, so I set up and check at least 2 suctions with yankhauer catheters. get the ambu bag ready, set it up and hook it to 02. also make sure you have a couple oral airways.

also its important to have all the monitoring ready like you described plus two pressure cables. etco2 is nice also.

Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

I:

Zero the bed

Clean the EKG cables, IV pump, table (even if housekeeping was in there; some do a better job than others)

Set up suction canister

Extra linens, wipes placed in bedside cart

MRSA/VRE swab, pulse ox on bedside table

Make sure there is an IV pump with channels and suction canisters (that are working lol) in the room

That's it. Anything extra I add depending on the admission. After I get report from the ER/floor, wherever, then I will add things that I might need. Maybe an extra suction canister set up or 2 if they're really sick, a few bags of NS if their condition warrants it, central line kit/cart stocked if I know they'll be placing one right away; get my a-line bag/set up with transducers if applicable, etc. All of this extra stuff just depending on what type of patient is coming up. Restraints to bedside if they're vented or withdrawal, etc.

Hope you enjoy it!

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