Reporting Critical Value..

[BlizzAngel]

The lab called me stating that a patient (that wasn't assigned to me) had a critical value of 2.9 potassium. I told the nurse (that was assigned to the patient) what the lab told me, and I carried on with my day, taking care of my patients.

The next few days, the charge nurse asks me why I didn't call the doctor about the critical value. I say to myself, "What do you mean? I told the nurse what the lab told me..." Is it my responsibility to call the doctor (even though I told the assigned nurse what the lab told me) because the charge nurse is making me feel like it was my responsibility...

=(

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

We don't carry phones in my ED (Hallelujah!!!!), so whichever nurse is closest to the phone at the nurses station takes the call, as the primary RN may be in with another patient, on the other line, on break, or what have you. As the RN who took the call, it is my responsibility to follow through by informing the MD, documenting the critical lab and my action in the chart, and by informing the primary RN that I have done so.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

We have forms where we have to document who took the report and if/when the nurse and MD was notified. I like our policy because it is set up in a way that anyone can take the call and there is a place to document the patient's nurse who was notified. If we didn't have his policy I would never except a critical value for a patient that is not mine. When I report a critical value to the md I need my SBAR report ready to go. I cannot report a lab on another patient without knowing the whole story.