Complaints vs Safety of the Nursing Staff

NancyRN · Jan 9, 2003

I'm wondering if this is a trend started by the TV program "ER". Disruptive and abusive families are entertaining. Maybe people have gotten the idea that it's OK to treat medical staff the way they see it depicted on television.

I wish that show would do a segment showing the nurse going home crying and giving up nursing because she can't handle the abuse anymore.

Indiana ED RN · Jan 10, 2003

Originally posted by cotjockey
RIght now, the management team is on a HUGE "the customer is always right" kick.

Gosh this must be every where. I thought there was a nursing shortage? Wouldn't hospitals want to protect the staff they have.... there always will be patients!

Me

:confused:

DIPLOMATICRN4HIRE, MSN, RN · Jan 10, 2003

The abuse issue and assault depends on each state. Most go on the basis of the assault, and assault and battery. It doesnt matter healthcare worker or not but if you are at work you can also charge them with disruption of work and your work can also press charges. There are a few other loop holes you can get them on.

Zoe

flashpoint · Jan 10, 2003

LOL...we don't have to call and appologize to patietns we've made mad yet...we do get called in and talked to any time a patient complains about us. Doesn't matter if the complaint is valid or not. A few months ago a patient called anf accused me of tapping her phone so I could steal her man...nurse manager wnated to know what I might have said or done to make the patient beleive that...LOL...not shoved her psych meds down her throat, perhaps?

moonrose2u · Jan 10, 2003

i think its because health care is now so competitive, and hospitals are clammering for patients...trying all kinds of glitzy marketing tricks to obtain pts..you know, they come out every other day with a new "survey" that announces THEIR hospital as the best in the area, or Tristate...all marketing gimmicks, but it shows you how desperate the hospitals are....

so, yes the customer is always right..no matter the circumstances....the staffer is an employee serving the customer....you do the math...

Little One2 · Jan 10, 2003

Its the same everywhere. There seems to be a lack of respect for nurses everywhere.

The one thing I found troubling at my old hospital is that the nurses in one department (emergency) don't respect nurses in another department (medicine).

On my old floor, the er nurses would call to give report at our busiest times, such as shift change. They don't respect the fact that the nurse is busy and there might not be another nurse available to take report. Then they would send up the patient at shift change. Which I find is not very considerate.

I believe nurses need to work together as a team.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Jan 10, 2003

Originally posted by Indiana ED RN
Gosh this must be every where. I thought there was a nursing shortage? Wouldn't hospitals want to protect the staff they have.... there always will be patients!

Me

I'm thinking it's their JCAHO status they want to protect.

tatianamik · Jan 10, 2003

Originally posted by Little One2
Its the same everywhere. There seems to be a lack of respect for nurses everywhere.

The one thing I found troubling at my old hospital is that the nurses in one department (emergency) don't respect nurses in another department (medicine).

On my old floor, the er nurses would call to give report at our busiest times, such as shift change. They don't respect the fact that the nurse is busy and there might not be another nurse available to take report. Then they would send up the patient at shift change. Which I find is not very considerate.

We have a problem at my hospital. The floor nurses and secretarys will hold all the discharges until the end of thier shift and then enter them right before they go home. The ER patient that we have been waiting on a bed for 8 hours gets assigned right at shift change and we have 30 minutes from recieving the bed assignment until they have to be going up to the floor.

NancyRN · Jan 10, 2003

Dr. Kate, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2003

It seems that everyone is on the #1 in customer service bandwagon. And it's not just in hospitals.

I just bought a used car and within a week I had a letter from the sales manager telling me I would be receiving a customer service survey from the company represented by the dealership. The letter went on to tell me that if on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 as the best, they didn't get a 5, they were considered to have failed in customer service. BTW, the car I bought was not made by the parent company of the dealership. Let me tell you, they have bent over backwards to make me happy. When the service manager got a bit edgy, I apologized for being "perty" and mentioned the sales manager had said to call him, next thing he was apologizing to me and got rid of the edginess. Have I milked it a bit? Yeah, have to admit I have, all legit but still . . .

It's become the same in hospitals. The problem is, IMO, that where it is relatively easy to make repairs to a car so it meets the customer's expectations, it just doesn't work the same way with sick people. You can't fix everything, sometimes there are inevitable bad outcomes. The powers that be have latched onto a good concept and applied it wrong.

Both hospitals I work for are big into customer service. Where I am house mouse I spend more time than I'd like fielding compliants for legitimate and silly issues. I have learned to be very noncommital, to validate the person's feelings without validating the legitimacy of the complaint. And of course, to document, document, document.

Several years ago, one of the hospitals had a patient satisfaction campaign that involved everyone wearing buttons that said, I kid you not, "satisfaction guaranteed" I refused to even take one of the fool things. I mean really, "I'm sorry your child is brain dead from the accident but we guarantee your satisfaction," give me a break. That campaign didn't last long, but it remains a personal archetype for the headlong rush into unthoughtout customer service campaigns.

I think overall we are seeing throughout society in general a decrease in impulse control and the ability to tolerate any level of frustration. It comes out in subtle and not so subtle ways. Unfortunately, those of us in healthcare get to see people at their worst and most vulnerable (sometimes their best and most noble, but that's another discussion) and the worst has gotten really bad. But no one has a right to threaten or assault another person. And only those without the mental capacity to understand their actions are to be given any leeway--IMHO.

kaycee · Jan 11, 2003

Great post Dr. Kate. You said it best!

angelbear · Jan 11, 2003

How good will customer satisfaction be when there are no nurses left to serve said customer. Admin and management need to think about that. A happy, secure and satisfied staff makes for better customer service over all.