Camera over each pts bed on the M/S unit.

Good Morning, Gil · Mar 5, 2012

I don't understand how cameras over the bed help. You have functional bed alarms, no? So, if your hearing is not impaired, you would hear said bed alarm. The money spent on cameras would have been better invested in hiring 3 more nurses (money to train, while not cheap, is still not more expensive than a bunch of cameras). They could have hired more CNAs, too, but unfortunately, one unit can't just do whatever they want ratio wise, probably would not have gotten that approved even though it would be more effective in fall prevention.

You could have had the extra CNA designated just to do very very frequent rounds on high fall risk patients, spend their time walking the unit, if falls are such a big problem where you are.

OCNRN63, RN · Mar 6, 2012

Gil, you beat me to it.

RNnbakes · Mar 6, 2012

I think it is more of invasion of privacy for the patient.

Good Morning, Gil · Mar 6, 2012

haha, I'm like Flash. Oh man...been watching too much big bang theory lately lol. Hadn't even heard of Flash till I watched that show lol. Guess I better go be productive and do laundry so I have some clean scrubs. Have a good night! :)

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2012

I have never heard of using cameras to monitor patients for falls. We have several rooms with installed cameras but that is the seizure monitoring unit and that is fairly standard practice for those units.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2012

Believe it or not, I'm all for it. How is that any different than having a sitter watching said patient at all times? If we are going to be blamed for every patient falling and breaking something, then I guess we have to do what we have to do, privacy or not.

jlog.j · Mar 6, 2012

Yes we do have bed alarms, but it looks much better to AHCA to have camers over the bed too.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2012

also, having bed alarms doesnt always help if you dont have the staff who can immediately be there to stop the person getting up. We recently had a guy that was so fast he would be up by the time you got to the room, but would be ready to topple backwards just as you got in the room- assuming someone was available to GET into the room. We ended up having a nurse sit in there to observe pt 100% of the time, and running short( was no techs avail.)

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 6, 2012

I've worked in ICU's that use video cameras inside patients' rooms that are broadcast to TV monitors at the nurses' station. These are ICU's where the inside of the rooms are not easily visible from the hallway (i.e., no sliding glass doors, room is in a corner, or unit is not configured so that rooms circle the nurses station). Patients (or families) sign a consent to be video-monitored for safety. Epilepsy monitoring units also utilize video cameras to monitor seizure activity in patients while continuous EEG is attached. It works in the situations I mentioned but I agree that in a Med-Surg Unit, the best solution is to have additional staff who could make frequent safety rounds or assign sitters to patients who have a high risk for falls.

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2012

Cameras to prevent the falls or for risk management? I think hiring more cnas and or nurses would have better outcomes. DO you utulize bed alarms?

anotherone, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2012

also, having bed alarms doesnt always help if you dont have the staff who can immediately be there to stop the person getting up. We recently had a guy that was so fast he would be up by the time you got to the room, but would be ready to topple backwards just as you got in the room- assuming someone was available to GET into the room. We ended up having a nurse sit in there to observe pt 100% of the time, and running short( was no techs avail.)

Yes that is a big problem on my med surg floor. So because of that we work WITHOUT aides on the floor all the time.