Anyone have to call back patients who have left without being seen.

JessicRN · May 10, 2007

We are the department of public health hospital so most of our pts are illegal so do not give the right address or phonenumber,or homeless or indigent and have no address or phone number. Most do not speak english as well. Many come in because they use us purely as a clinic. the sick ones stay. Any who came in and have insurance stay. We have 3 nurses on nights in total the charge nurse has her own load each nurse avg load is about 8-9 patients if we have a critical patient depending on how critical we divide the third nurses work between the remaining two nurses. Triage is done by whoever can. We are not allowed to go out on diversion and we are the drunk tank for 2 communities including 2 universities..This is all new for us we used to go on divert but no more all the other hospitals surrounding us can though. We also have a form that our pt need to fill out but most refuse and many can't fill it out as they canot speak english or they are illiterate. What a collosal waste of time. :madface:

Trekfan · Jul 20, 2011

If their problem was so minor that they left, it is a waste of time to call them back. Why encourage needless visits?

Not always , I had to LWBS once not because My problem was so minor that I was at the end of the line but because the hospital was packed that they where olney seeing fast track olney . I became so dissy I could not sit up and there way nowhere to lay down . I was about to to lay on the floor but was told i could not so I just left at that point . the er did call me the next day

witch brings up a big question , how come ers do not have places for pople to lay down ?

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2011

Egads! I hope management isn't reading this and decide to implement it here! :eek:

Why encourage needless visits?

Because in the eyes of management, it's not a "needless visit" - it's a "billable event" (i.e. the more people we see, the more money hospital makes) :uhoh3:

cheers,

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2011

witch brings up a big question , how come ers do not have places for pople to lay down ?

There are places for people to lay down inside. On stretchers.

If I start putting beds in the waiting room I'll be over-run by drunken college kids and the local homeless population....

And MUCH as I'd like to help 'em - it's an emergency department. For medical emergencies...

cheers,

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jul 20, 2011

Management really needs to get off the "It's a JCAHO requirement." bandwagon. If it was, we'd see all the hospitals doing it, dummies. It's the CEO's current soapbox, that's what it is.

caregiver1977 · Jul 20, 2011

If their problem was so minor that they left, it is a waste of time to call them back. Why encourage needless visits?

On the flip side of what you said, maybe the problem was so bad that the person left to try to get quicker care elsewhere...

skylark, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2011

We are the department of public health hospital so most of our pts are illegal so do not give the right address or phonenumber,or homeless or indigent and have no address or phone number. Most do not speak english as well. Many come in because they use us purely as a clinic. the sick ones stay. Any who came in and have insurance stay. We have 3 nurses on nights in total the charge nurse has her own load each nurse avg load is about 8-9 patients if we have a critical patient depending on how critical we divide the third nurses work between the remaining two nurses. Triage is done by whoever can. We are not allowed to go out on diversion and we are the drunk tank for 2 communities including 2 universities..This is all new for us we used to go on divert but no more all the other hospitals surrounding us can though. We also have a form that our pt need to fill out but most refuse and many can't fill it out as they canot speak english or they are illiterate. What a collosal waste of time.

Sounds like where I work :clown:

The other problem we would have with this is that there are a lot of dealers and other dodgy people in this area, they will often book in to the ER as an alibi. Or even have someone else book in using their name.

Just so they can say, "It wasn't me, I was at the hospital." :eek:

caliotter3 · Jul 20, 2011

It's a bad idea. When I Ieft after waiting six hours while bleeding almost to death, I would not have wanted to take my valuable time to explain to someone why. Isn't it obvious?

1fastnurse · Jul 20, 2011

Not always , I had to LWBS once not because My problem was so minor that I was at the end of the line but because the hospital was packed that they where olney seeing fast track olney . I became so dissy I could not sit up and there way nowhere to lay down . I was about to to lay on the floor but was told i could not so I just left at that point . the er did call me the next day
witch brings up a big question , how come ers do not have places for pople to lay down ?

only dizzy

One lays eggs, you might choose to lie down or lay the book on the table, but not lay down in the ER. If you were dissy then you should have told the triage nurse and he would have translated that into "dizzy" or "near syncope" and correlated your vital signs, across the room assessment and history, got to love the computerized medical record, and seen that you have been dissy for the past three months and that the baby with the blue lips might need to go in front of you. Sorry maybe too long in triage or too long married to a teacher. Which brings up one last question...... how the heck did you get through English 101?

kids · Jul 21, 2011

how the heck did you get through English 101?

The poster is visually impaired.

Trekfan · Jul 21, 2011

only dizzy
One lays eggs, you might choose to lie down or lay the book on the table, but not lay down in the ER. If you were dissy then you should have told the triage nurse and he would have translated that into "dizzy" or "near syncope" and correlated your vital signs, across the room assessment and history, got to love the computerized medical record, and seen that you have been dissy for the past three months and that the baby with the blue lips might need to go in front of you. Sorry maybe too long in triage or too long married to a teacher. Which brings up one last question...... how the heck did you get through English 101?

Look #### you have olney posted twice sence 2005 and post now just to pick on me ? what did I ever do to you you are those bully in school . ASK your wife about something called LD . and if you must know I have a number of medical problems what have messed up my menory so bad I cannot remeber what the H**ll day it is half the time or the names of my co-workers so just be glad I at least come close . we are all grown here act like it

OH and FYI I never even had books in english the teacher read to us my classes where much diffent then a reg. class I also never wrought a paper in my life .

1fastnurse · Jul 21, 2011

Wow, now there is a propperly worded reply. As i worded b4 mayb i been i trige too long. It turns u into an @##@##$$#. Pleaes refreain from dissiting te nurses til u been in their shos.