Call bells! I am beginning to think call bells are the worst invention in the world.
Ring, ring ,ring.
Today, the call bells were crazy. Our secretary kept track. We had 97 call bells in 2 1/2 hours from 26 pts. Several retreat offenders. You know the ones. They ring, you tell them you will be there shorty, 30 secs later, they ring again, and again and again. Look lady, my kegs are short, I simply cannot get from the nursing station to you in 30 secs.
One pt keeps ringing because he's lonely. One just puts her finger and the button and holds it until her nurse gets there.
One pt rang to have her table cleaned off.
Good thing I wasn't playing the drinking game, one drink for every call bell. I wouldn't sober up until Xmas!
My favorite thing is when I say, before leaving a patient's room (every time!), "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" and they decline. 5 seconds after leaving the room, via call-light: "Can I get another blanket?", "Can I be pulled up in bed?". After the fourth time of doing this, I said to a patient recently, "Listen, when I ask if you need something, I need you to tell me while I am in the room instead of having to come back in minutes later." Her response? "I didn't mean to hit the button that time, but while you're in here..."
In my ideal hospital, ........................ Hey, one can dream, right?
Call bell with a PCA-like 20 minute lock out with a twice an hour limit.
Siri-like app installed inside the call bell that would respond to patient requests.[ Patient] "I want a drink of water right now" [bella , the call bell app] "(singing) You can't always get what you waaaaant"
Pill dispensers that require a code you can give them over the intercom.
Call bell with a PCA-like 20 minute lock out with a twice an hour limit.
Siri-like app installed inside the call bell that would respond to patient requests.[ Patient] "I want a drink of water right now" [bella , the call bell app] "(singing) You can't always get what you waaaaant"
Pill dispensers that require a code you can give them over the intercom.
"I want a drink of water."
"Checking on that...."
"My sources show your water pitcher has 427 ml in it, and is in reach. Your chart does not make mention of any upper extremity impairment."
There must be something in the water or moon stage or some other thoroughly unscientific explanation for this. It was call light and bed alarm insanity last night, and my unit isn't usually like that.
We have someone who is designated to answer the call bell phone and who then calls the patient's nurse, so sometimes it's hard to help out other nurses since you may not know if someone else's patient is calling. Last night it was a free for all.
Everyone's buddy and their buddy's buddy was so tied up half of us couldn't get back to bring things for our own patients. We have a lighting system that will eventually let you know if a call hasn't been answered, and let me tell you, I think I got ice and toileted every single patient on the unit last night, not to mention de-escalations for several. I walked away seriously questioning the use of bed alarms for patients with severe PTSD who also have encephalopathy. We very nearly had a staff member seriously injured. The family had specifically mentioned this patient couldnt tolerate loud, sudden noises.
Oh my yes! Of course if you got rid of the call lights you'd just have more yellers. We have one lady we are keeping a log on because she has been hitting the light so much and she calls 911 (along with calls to her congress man, adult protective services, etc) if you don't get in there within a few minutes. She called 911 on me last night because I was in another room doing a cath and the CNA didn't get her water fast enough. I was only gone long enough to do a cath. Ugh! Crazy lady hit the light every 15 minutes from 6 pm until 9pm last night and just when I thought she fell asleep was when she called 911 on me.
Oh my yes! Of course if you got rid of the call lights you'd just have more yellers. We have one lady we are keeping a log on because she has been hitting the light so much and she calls 911 (along with calls to her congress man, adult protective services, etc) if you don't get in there within a few minutes. She called 911 on me last night because I was in another room doing a cath and the CNA didn't get her water fast enough. I was only gone long enough to do a cath. Ugh! Crazy lady hit the light every 15 minutes from 6 pm until 9pm last night and just when I thought she fell asleep was when she called 911 on me.
Then of course there's the family members that just go out and express their need to the first random person they see wearing scrubs. Then the next time you go in, they're flaming mad because they told the respiratory therapist doing a breathing treatment on the patient 6 rooms down and across the hall an hour ago that their father was feeling nauseated. And they can't possibly comprehend that said respiratory therapist may not have noticed them over the distraction of looking at their MAR for the patient they're actually trying to provide care to, probably has no idea who their father is, and got called away to a rapid response on one of the other 73 patients she's covering 30 seconds later.
I hate call bells. Sometimes a shift is so bad I can hear them in my head when I go home. Anything in the outside world that reminds me of the sound of a call light (or the admission pager for that matter) gives me pseudo-PTSD like reactions. I get jumpy and anxious until I realize that that's not in fact what it is. Worse is being in charge and having all of the patients' lights come to me.
Most patients are good about the use and don't abuse them, but I have had a few patients who have had underlying psych issues on top of their medical issues, who would press the call light every five minutes to inform me of their anxiety (which is of course, addressed) and/or hallucinations or just to shoot the breeze. When I finally got fed up with one patient and told her to call for more serious matters only (bathroom, pain, hunger, etc), she used the room phone to call security on me. She fired me the next night -- thank goodness. Sometimes these folks don't realize they are doing you a favor.
Worst of all though is FAMILY members who come out to the nurses' station every time their loved one needs something and get right in my face and stare me down. I HATE it, HATE it, HATE it. Go back in the room and press the button. UGH. It takes every ounce of restraint in me not to snap at them that they are no more important than anyone else on the floor, and go back in the room and wait your turn. I think family members come out on purpose to push themselves to the front of the line, because if they are in our faces, they can't be ignored. RUDE and selfish.
BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN
3,520 Posts
I can't tell if you're trying to be glib, sarcastic or honest. At ANY rate, no one said you HAD to engage here. Geesh.