Daylight Savings & Documentation

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How do hospitals handle daylight savings and documentation (and any other factors involved)? An hour will either occur twice or not happen at all. This doesn't seem problematic for us who are in bed sleeping, but may have major implications for those who are working at the hospital. In both cases, but perhaps especially for the hour occuring twice, it seems like things could get rather confusing on the charts.

Does anyone have stories to share from their personal experiences of working a shift during daylight savings?

Specializes in Hospice.

I hate time change! I thank God I don't work 12 hour night shifts anymore. The hardest thing was giving report (yeah, I gave the last percocet during the first 2 am, and then gave push morphine during the second 2am). Also, my computer system just had military time, so there is 2 sets of charting for the 2 am hour.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.
Don't they have military time?

Yeah but when there are 2 0100 in a night, it kinda gets confusing

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You just charted it at time given. For stuff like ivfs you just chart it twice since they were actually getting an extra hour of fluids. I always hated working in the nicu and babies were on schedule feedings. It sucked when it was actually 3am feeding time, but the clocks got turned back to two. Babies dont care about daylight savings time.

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Specializes in L&D; GI; Fam Med; Home H; Case mgmt.
i live in arizona and we dont time change so it's never been an issue for us.

I grew up in AZ. When I moved to the NE and came to my first "fall back" I was like "whaaa??". It makes little sense to me. It seems an antiquated notion that should be abolished.

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Specializes in Pedi.

This thread has kind of died down but I want to see what other facilities do.

I worked the fall back night this year (as well as 2 out of the previous 3 years). Nurses at my hospital are not paid for the extra hour and their excuse is "well we don't deduct in the spring". I have worked the 11 hour night ONCE in 4 years and the 11 hour night is probably the only time I've ever only been at work for 12 hours (and not 13 or 14). What do all your facilities do? I have not heard from a single other nurse who worked that night and did not get paid for the extra hour.

As far as documentation goes, the computers go down at 1:00 (the first 1:00) and don't come back until 3:00 (new time). So we have to document on paper for 3 hours and then go back and back-document everything in the computer. Yes, it is double documentation and yes, it is stupid.

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Specializes in PACU.

Wow, I can't believe the computers just shut down. What a pathetic system. There's another reason I'm leery to switch to electronic charting.

Fortunately when I've been on during time changes I've used paper charting and just put PST/PDT as appropriate.

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