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!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Me thinks ruby knows what it means, I think the question was pertaining to why the pp didn't just say "cancer diagnosis"
Seriously, I did not. When I worked oncology, we referred to cancer as "Ca" is we had to abbreviate it. Dx is relatively universal, but I've never heard "cx" before, and with "cx dx" is was too distracting to try to figure out what it meant. But the TOS say "no text speak." And we all need to remember that what seems like a perfectly reasonable abbreviation or acronym to an oncology or med/surg nurse might be very confusing to a CTICU nurse. Or vice versa.
It is insulting for you assume that we do not know when and how to assess, intervene and educate an anxious person with a life threatening illness.
It's not insulting; it's sharing ideas. At the end of the post, Target suggested an adult version of a child life specialist for patients who are having a hard time dealing with a diagnosis or a chronic condition that changes their lives.
Yes & usually those same 13 people ask for the craziest requests....like, "how do we arrange to have that nice room with 4 beds in it so we have more room for mother? We don't have room for all of us to stay the night in here."
When mom gets sick enough to need a nurse at her bedside, ALL of you leave. We can arrange that, right? My manager actually gave them the step-down unit the next day! I was SO glad I was off 2 nights later when they had to move the family out of there for honestly sick patients needing those beds.
I heard one family tell their mom to ask for the RN by name when calling out, no matter what she needed, just to say, "I need Susan to come here." After 10 calls & my aide saying, "Susan is busy, but I have time to help you & I can get another nurse for you if you need a nurse," she started saying what she wanted. We had 18 patients that night & I was the only RN. I didn't have time to answer lights unless your request was life-threatening. We had all 18 on cardiac monitors except one. The older lady asking for RN to answer her bell. She had no IV & was only there that night because her family didn't want to take mother home after dark since it was a bit icy outside.
Chiming in here. Basically, I would hope, that each and every patient's present situation is being considered in regard to "call bells." For example, if you have Mrs. S. In her late 60s, post op abdominal surgery with no indication of a cx dx prior to surgery. This patient is found to have cx while in surgery. She is a widower with adult children that do not live local. She has a friend, but no one close, she is a private person not comfortable with asking the friend to help her get out of bed; also is trying to deal with this Cx Dx on her own until she is gets more info to tell her kids because she does not want to disturb her kids lives just yet. She needs support and therefore is using her call bell because she suddenly thinks of questions, or she is uncomfortable in her bed bed, or just needs to talk, how do we help this patient? In peds we have children life specalist who help in times lwhen kids are scared or need someone to support them. Maybe adult hospitals need "life specalist" to help these patients because it is clear nurses have no time for hand holding based on the current understaffing going on in hospitals. Wouldn't that help?
Great idea. A person like is not likely a frequent flier on the bell. That kind of describes my situation, yet when I had surgery, I used the call bell sparingly, maybe once a shift or less. I think the thread is supposed to be about people who abuse the light and ring 97 times a shift, ring when you are in the room, etc. However I do like your life specialist idea. I put it out another way in another post as a psych liaison nurse. Same idea, different title, similar focus. Thanks for sharing your great suggestion.
Great idea. A person like is not likely a frequent flier on the bell. That kind of describes my situation, yet when I had surgery, I used the call bell sparingly, maybe once a shift or less. I think the thread is supposed to be about people who abuse the light and ring 97 times a shift, ring when you are in the room, etc. However I do like your life specialist idea. I put it out another way in another post as a psych liaison nurse. Same idea, different title, similar focus. Thanks for
sharing your great suggestion.
No. It's absurd.
If either one of you are nurses, you would know that hospitals do not provide adequate nursing staff or even a safety aide for pts at risk of self injury.
A nurse navigator and case manager can provide education and a pastoral care person can provide emotional and spiritual support. The physician can treat the anxiety.
If either one of you are nurses, you would know that hospitals do not provide adequate nursing staff or even a safety aide for pts at risk of self injury.
A nurse navigator and case manager can provide education and a pastoral care person can provide emotional and spiritual support. The physician can treat the anxiety.
Chiming in here. Basically, I would hope, that each and every patient's present situation is being considered in regard to "call bells." For example, if you have Mrs. S. In her late 60s, post op abdominal surgery with no indication of a cx dx prior to surgery. This patient is found to have cx while in surgery. She is a widower with adult children that do not live local. She has a friend, but no one close, she is a private person not comfortable with asking the friend to help her get out of bed; also is trying to deal with this Cx Dx on her own until she is gets more info to tell her kids because she does not want to disturb her kids lives just yet. She needs support and therefore is using her call bell because she suddenly thinks of questions, or she is uncomfortable in her bed bed, or just needs to talk, how do we help this patient? In peds we have children life specalist who help in times lwhen kids are scared or need someone to support them. Maybe adult hospitals need "life specalist" to help these patients because it is clear nurses have no time for hand holding based on the current understaffing going on in hospitals. Wouldn't that help?
We have chaplains that we can call 24/7 to come and talk with pts
Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN
2,369 Posts
I think it's "cancer diagnosis."