Best Ideas Your Hospital Uses?

[Meerkat]

What are some of the ideas your hospital uses to help nurses day to day? Do you have and tricks of the trade that you especially like where you work?

I wish our patient care techs could do Accu checks. That would help us nurses alot.

Also do you allow flowers? With so many allergies I wonder if there is an alternative to sending flowers to patients.

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

I would suppose that my favorite thing our hospital does for us is having an awesome charge nurse team that really knows and appreciates their nurses! Even us agency nurses! My charge nurses at the one hospital I work in now know me well...know what I can do, and always help me when it is something I haven't done before or in a long time! They hire charge nurses by how many years they have been at the facility..and do not hire out of hospital for that position! Gives a wonderful team feeling! I love that!

As far as flowers...yep, and I hate lily season for that..LOL (I love the look, but oh boy I sneeze like crazy!). Typically we will cut the stamens out so there isn't as much pollen in the air...that is helpful.

However, we do encourage non flowering gifts like stuffed animals (we have a line of those that have velcro or have a wire in them so you can attach them safely to the bed without getting in the way..those are so cool!). We also have a very realistic line of fake flowers that are reasonable in cost too! (we have an awesome gift shop! I buy gifts there for my friends!).

We have crystal window orniments that are gaining popularity as well...kinda nice to see that sparkle or a rainbow on you as the sun shines! The most popular so far are these gorgeous tea pots that have those realistic fake flowers in an arrangement...each room has a small corner high shelf in them, so they go there without probelms or being hit and broken! And right in site of the patient :).

Another fun one, which was actually my idea...was those rice or flax seed heating pads. I have made quite a few and with sleeves to mix and match made of flannel or fleece! They come in just long rectangle, neck, large flat (like a heating pad) and one with a velcro strap for joints :)! Just make sure you get your heating pad orders from the MD! LOL! They can also be cooled.

The thing about this idea I like too is that the family gets a gift that helps the patient, not just showy! That makes the patient and family feel involved and helpful! That is a win win!!!!

[lsyorke, RN]

Sitters for confused patients!!!! It's a life saver for all!

[DONN]

At our place we have THE greatest med administration system around. We are all computerized and we have a scanner that we scan the patients meds and then scan the patients wrist band and either its a match or it tells you: wrong med, wrong patient or somethng else before you go ahead with passing the med. Its awesome.....

[SheriLynnRN]

I love that whenever there is a new doctor's order written it is photocopied and the copy is placed on a magnet clip that hangs on a metal communication board at our nurse's station. Each nurse working that shift has her/his own clip. I just check my clip periodically throughout the shift for new orders, lab reports or notes from the charge nurse or secretary etc. This is such a vast improvement over having to chase down my charts constantly or rely on messages from the charge nurse when orders change. After we have seen the order copies, we place them on the same clipboard as the pt's MAR in the med room. That way, we have easy access to the pt's recent orders anytime we need to see them. It is so quick and easy to look at pt's relevant orders at the beginning of my shift at the same time that I'm checking on when my pts' meds are due.