Are COWs causing injury?

truern · Jun 11, 2009

I had breast ca last year and after several surgeries I'm finding lugging, tugging and pulling our WOWs through hallways and over doorways makes my chest ACHE. I haven't heard anybody else complain, though, so I thought it was just me. :confused:

Tait, MSN, RN · Jun 11, 2009

Not ours...because they are always charging in the store room. Heaven forbid you unplug it for one minute to move it...instant death. Sad thing is they are brand new as well.

Tait

RosalindRN · Jun 11, 2009

We just started using them a week ago. I hate it and yes you do stand a lot. They actually want us to clean the wheels and wipe down the entire thing everytime we go into a pts room on contact precaustions. Ha! How about I just park it outside the door facing only me. Thats as good as it will get for me. Its a pain in my orifice!

wooh, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2009

We're "bad" on my unit. Most of us pull a couple cows into the nurse's station and plug them in there. Push them down all the way and sit at them. We've basically turned them into a couple extra computers in the nurse's station. About the only time I take them into a room is when I'm doing an admission, or when I have to stay in the room for an extended time (for example when I've just hung blood or when a patient needs some one on one time but not my absolute undivided attention.) I get the charting at bedside theories. I used to do that. But with my current patient population, it's easier for me to be in the room, jot down a couple notes, then leave the room and do my charting.

I think it's a personal preference. A huge shock at work one day was seeing an MD that takes a cow from room to room and writes his orders in the room. He feels he gets to spend more time with the patients that way, and I have to say, it's so rare that he forgets to write an order that he told the family he'd write, because he puts them in while he's in the room with them.

rngolfer53 · Jun 11, 2009

Not ours...because they are always charging in the store room. Heaven forbid you unplug it for one minute to move it...instant death. Sad thing is they are brand new as well.
Tait

If you look at cows in a field, they spend most of their time munching grass, so of course our COWS are no different. They just need constant "feeding" thru the charging cord.

chicookie, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2009

We have a grand total of ........ONE WOW that we use. LOL so no its not a problem for me. No one uses it. It just sits there.

Tait, MSN, RN · Jun 11, 2009

If you look at cows in a field, they spend most of their time munching grass, so of course our COWS are no different. They just need constant "feeding" thru the charging cord.

Tis true!!!

loriangel14, RN · Jun 11, 2009

Ours are always in the hallway except for doing an admission and we have chairs at them so we are sitting. i know originally the idea was we were to stand at them but no body does. Even doing an admission we grab a chair.

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2009

we have to take them around to scan medications...or use pdas...half of which don't scan...it's ok...but it takes a lot of time. I don't chart at the bedside, patients often want to really talk and I feel it's rude to not give them my undivided attention...and sometimes I talk to myself while charting, not the best impression.

My arms and back hurt often while pushing them, but at least my units not carpeted...I had to push a bed when we transferred a pt to that one, and it was HARD. can't imagine pushing a ship through there.

perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2009

They are really heavy and hard to move; I can definitely see them contributing to joint or back injury. Even though we use them mainly for medications administration, and do our charting @ the nurses' station, sitting down.

pawsomepooch47 · Jun 11, 2009

i am sorry to hear about your illness. hope you are doing well. no, since we got these COWs and give meds with it(you can't give meds without it), lug our supplies around in it, we barely let go of the thing all day. It goes with me wherever i go. Originally we had COWs that the battery didn't stay charged as many posters have said, but these new ones stay charged for a whole 12 hr shift. Probably the batteries are bigger and heavier...Maybe big enough for a tractor!