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| Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 12 | 
Oct 28, 2009, 04:44 PM
 Re: less interruptions help nurses reduce drug errors Originally Posted by Cindy-san  No interruptions, eh? No problem!
Just have to get rid of the: phone calls, doctors, family members, managers, inservices, call bells, all other signs of life on the unit and ta-dah!
We sit here and beat into the heads of new grads, to prep meds in an area free of distractions, in a quiet environment. Then when they leave school, we force them to wear phones despite the fact that HIPAA interfers with us discussing the pt in public areas, and we aren't suppose to take verbal orders unless it is an emergency, and then we are required to write it in the chart and read it back (difficult when you are juggling bedpans). And we give them a beeper just in case the phone is busy (clue: if the phone is busy THAT much, maybe a little help is in order). And we require them to answer any phone within two rings, with the programmed proper nursing response - points off your eval if you get it wrong, and answer any call light within 30 seconds. We get rid of med rooms and put them on carts in the hall, so that nurses can be closer to their patients...and nosy visitors, and loud children, and carping MDs, and JCAHO regulators. We get stopped for instantaneous inservices and by the weekly fire drill.
And we wonder why there are mistakes
 | | No. 13 |
Oct 28, 2009, 05:12 PM
Re: less interruptions help nurses reduce drug errors
When I was a staff nurse, I had a lovely printed sign on the side of my med cart. It read:
"I am in the middle of passing medications. Please do not disturb me unless it is an emergency."
I was called into the supervisor's office and was told it wasn't 'nice' or 'customer service oriented'. Hmmmm I said.
Have I made any med errors? No. Are my meds passed on time? Yes. Has anyone complained? No. Do you think it's customer service oriented if I give Mrs Jones' pills to Mrs Smith because Mr Brown's wife has asked me for the 8th time when her husband is going to be able to remember her?
If they would only invest the money they spend on these stupid surveys in patient care, we'd all be better off.
| | No. 14 |
Oct 28, 2009, 07:27 PM
Re: less interruptions help nurses reduce drug errors Originally Posted by caroladybelle We sit here and beat into the heads of new grads, to prep meds in an area free of distractions, in a quiet environment. Then when they leave school, we force them to wear phones despite the fact that HIPAA interfers with us discussing the pt in public areas, and we aren't suppose to take verbal orders unless it is an emergency, and then we are required to write it in the chart and read it back (difficult when you are juggling bedpans). And we give them a beeper just in case the phone is busy (clue: if the phone is busy THAT much, maybe a little help is in order). And we require them to answer any phone within two rings, with the programmed proper nursing response - points off your eval if you get it wrong, and answer any call light within 30 seconds. We get rid of med rooms and put them on carts in the hall, so that nurses can be closer to their patients...and nosy visitors, and loud children, and carping MDs, and JCAHO regulators. We get stopped for instantaneous inservices and by the weekly fire drill.
And we wonder why there are mistakes
you forgot to mention when you have to run to pharmacy to pick up the med...  | | No. 16 |
Oct 28, 2009, 08:47 PM
 Re: less interruptions help nurses reduce drug errors
So, that's why when people demand my attention when I pass meds, I stop my pass, put back the drugs, go put out the fire, then when I come back, I think to myself? Where the heck am I? I have 19 of them...
nobody takes it seriously until it's a study.
| | No. 17 |
Oct 28, 2009, 08:50 PM
Re: less interruptions help nurses reduce drug errors
From the article: Striving to reduce interruptions that lead to mistakes, teams of nurses at the different hospitals came up with a variety of methods - often surprisingly low tech - to alert others they were administering medications. The strategies included everything from wearing brightly colored vests or sashes to establishing "quiet zones" or making announcements at key points in the day when medications are being administered.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz0VHjZ7sWu
Oh-kay. And how is that supposed to work in LTC?
Quiet zone my eye.
The thing is, bean counters do not pay attention to anecdotal evidence. They need studies, hard numbers, facts and figures before they make decisions that impact nursing. They have NO CLUE whatsoever what staff nurses encounter in the usual workday. If nurses complain, they chalk it up to disgruntled employees who enjoy complaining. But if a patient, er, CUSTOMER complains, then all heck breaks loose.  |
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