'cattle calls' in ER waiting room?

[BaptistBites]

Ok, so in order to eliminate what management refers to as 'cattle calls' by nurses calling pts back from the waiting room the triage nurse now scribbles down a description of the pt on the chart, usually something like dark hair, purple shirt ect. So when the nurse goes out to get the pt she doesnt have to yell their last name but instead hunt for them and then approach them personally. Every ED Ive ever worked just called names, same with doctors offices. I understand this may seem more polite but I feel like a fool standing there looking around a packed waiting rm for my pt! Other pts look at me crazy cause like I dont know what Im doing. I also feel like its a waste of the triage nurses time to have to write down a description of every single person. We see up to 200 pts a day! Is anyone elses ED doing this?? Any takes?

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I start channeling Bob Barker ... "SGT Smith, come on down!"

[RFRN]

So instead of someone shouting out "Smith" in a tone of voice that screams I really don't wanna be here, how about "We would like to see Mr./Ms. Smith" or "Would Mr. Smith please come forward". There are a million ways to do it better without using numbers etc.

Good idea! We call first names in our clinic but then if two people stand up we just ask which MD they are seeing. I have been told before we can use first name OR last name but not both because that would be a HIPAA violation. To clarify, we can use a last initial when calling the name. Our receptionists are pretty much on the ball and will catch us if we're about to take the wrong person back.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

The ER isn't first come first served. My local hospital calls out the last name.

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

This is not what I thought this thread would be about -- I thought you guys were "GI bleeds to the left, CP to the right, and all the N/V/D folks, come on down!...." *grin*

[sunshine1216]

i used to work in an ED and we used to call names. Often you have to use forst and last names. Management felt we were breeching HIPPA and we changed to pagers. They were pretty strict about not calling names.

[canigraduate]

The ER isn't first come first served. My local hospital calls out the last name.

?

Nobody said anything about first come first served. Are you referring to the numbers? There's no reason for them to be sequential. They could actually be useful and refer to the time they came in and presenting problem. Ex: pt came in at 1411 with vomiting = 1411-16. (I just made up 16 - it doesn't really mean anything)

[HRM672]

We use non-sequential numbers, and people hate it. It seems to stress them out to have to carry around their number. They complain about it, and half the time they don't pay attention and I end up calling the name anyway.

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

This is exactly why HIPAA has become the monstrosity that it is. HIPAA was never designed to make people fearful to mention someone's name. It was designed so that insurance companies couldn't screw patients over. Somewhere in the mix, people decided that this meant that you couldn't even call a patient by name within earshot of anyone else. Ridiculous.

I say that your nurse managers could find any number of more productive things to go on a crusade about. Calling names in the ED waiting room is NOT a HIPAA violation, and I have never, ever heard a patient complain about this process.

Unless you standard practice is to call out, "Mr. Smith with the chief complaint of pus and blood coming out of your member, please come to the triage room". Then you might want to change things up.

[nurse_1234]

Murse, the last part of your post almost made me spit out my iced tea! :)

[godbless-yute]

My ED calls names over the intercom in the wr, which the majority of the time could barely be heard when the wr is full. The "number" idea could get ugly since most patients don't understand the concept of higher acuity, and it could be kinda difficult to keep track of. I really like the idea of the flashy light things, that would be really great especially for those pts that insist on going out to the car or outside to smoke (when their complaint is dib):)

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Unless you standard practice is to call out, "Mr. Smith with the chief complaint of pus and blood coming out of your member, please come to the triage room". Then you might want to change things up.

[mwboswell]

Description, in an Army ER? "Go get the guy in green." Ummmmmmmm ... hahaha! We call them by last name. Some of the RNs call them by the last four of their social security number, which I really don't like to do.

Lunah -OMG, I about fell out of my chair reading your first sentence!

I could even see this happening with a NEW RN in triage working in a Military hospital, staffed by a civilian contract; where the RN doesn't get all the military stuff and unknowingly asks for the "gentleman in green camo" -then the ENTIRE lobby stands up "Yes, Ma'am?"....

Bawhahahah!

Mark Boswell

MSN FNP-BC CEN CFRN CTRN CPEN NREMT-P

"Support CEN certification and your local ENA"