Doctors and Nurses need to band together against out of touch regulatory overkill

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

In my opinion many of the requirements set up by organizations such as the Joint Commission are written by out of touch people who spend years acquiring advanced degrees, yet lack the down to earth experience of working in the trenches of healthcare. Much of what they require seems to be based on nursing theory, and strikes me as being straight out of academia.

They create a workplace that seems more like an obstacle course. There are codes required to get into supply rooms, fall precaution sheets to fill out by the end of the shift, pain assessments to be done with mandatory numbers to plug in based on a pain scale that is not universally applicable to all situations.

Regulating bodies are staffed by people who often don't understand the day to day reality and flow of work that healthcare providers face. They create systems that totally frustrate doctors, nurses, and other providers.

I hear a lot of complaining from doctors as well. They are on our side. They share our pain. Their stress levels are up because of the increased demands on their time be systems put into place that are highly inconvenient to those of us providing direct care to patients.

What I see in my interactions with physicians is a similar mindset that I hear from nurses. They are sick of people in offices making their professional lives more difficult with inconvenient regulatory overkill that tries to solve problems by creating more documentation.

Doctors and Nurses need to unite with other healthcare disciplines to bring common sense back into healthcare! We are on the same team!

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

AFter working a short (5) hours last night, I'm just too tired to respond fully. But I agree totally with you. We're expecting the Joint any day now, and my manager is actually writing up nurses who don't "sign" even one of the billion computer entries. Never mind that this nurse is stellar; her patients get the best care, and she's thorough--- but miss even one little computer signature, and you could be terminated? Give me a break.

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Specializes in Level II & III NICU, Mother-Baby Unit.

I'm quite tired as well but want to show support for the complaint about the madness of the way this Joint Commission and other regulatory bodies, inhouse and beyond, are spiraling out of control.

The premise is a good one. Safety. I'm all for safety!! I do; however, feel that the folks making the demands on us are truly unable to see how ridiculously time consuming their requirements can be. Yes, those ivory towers are very, very far away from where the actual work occurs!!!

It seems that each year a new "focus" is decided upon which simply adds more and more and more work for us each year; and at the same time they are not hiring as many people to do all this extra work. Honestly, how many more mountains of "focuses" can they pile on us before we crush under the pressure!?! Heaven forbid we actually spend time taking care of patients!! I spend way too much time in the stupid computer charting multitudes of redundant items, filling out all kinds of paperwork, and then get reprimanded for not completing my work on time. For crying out loud! It truly is very frustrating!

I feel your pain!

:scrying:

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

If hospitals joined together to refuse Joint Commission Accreditation the JC would have to reform its act. Hospitals GIVE them the authority to deny Medicare payments. Hospitals and TAKE the authority back. Start the revolution!

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

Exactly right on about the yearly new 'focus'. This past year it was Fall Precautions. We had pain control a few years back, with the total institutionalization of the 10/10 pain scale no matter how absurd in many situations. You had your 'restraint documentation' year, your 'abbreviation no-no' year, your 'time out' for certain procedure year (gotta call a time out, not sure if this is the right patient in respiratory distress to do a thorocentisis on! :rolleyes: )

This '5 million lives' campaign seems to have turned up the regulatory volume I've noticed...

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"In my opinion many of the requirements set up by organizations such as the Joint Commission are written by out of touch people who spend years acquiring advanced degrees, yet lack the down to earth experience of working in the trenches of healthcare. Much of what they require seems to be based on nursing theory, and strikes me as being straight out of academia."

:yeah:Right on!

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One of my biggest complaints: Drink at the nurses station = $10,000 fine. 7 ER patients for one nurse = nothing.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
One of my biggest complaints: Drink at the nurses station = $10,000 fine. 7 ER patients for one nurse = nothing.

There you have the sad irony of this boiled down to one sentance...

:coollook:

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Until the facilities staff appropriately and spend money where it should be spent, instead of donating money to various organizations in their cities - there is nothing that nurses and doctors can do. Unless they will stop being so scared of termination and black listing and stand up EN MASSE, not just two or three here and there, with a solution to the problem and refuse to continue to be a part of healthcare the way it is, nothing will get fixed.

Joint Com. and all the other "rules" are put into place because the employers are causing unsafe conditions that increase errors. The hospitals/NH, clinics are the problem that feeds the Joint Commission.

I also have issues with the amount of money that is required by the Joint to get accreditation and keep it. It in itself is a money hungry machine. I've been getting the notifications of the need to attend their various breakfast meetings to be notified of new, different regs. Each meeting costs > $500 for ONE person for a few hours of lecture. It is just ridiculous.

I have never been a big fan of socialized medicine, but I am no longer happy with our capitalist healthcare system either. I don't want the government involved in every little aspect of my life. That is an intrusion. So I don't know what the answer might be to this problem. But it won't change until something really big happens - like EVERY nurse in this country refuse to work for a few days and see what happens when there is no one to take care of the patients.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.
One of my biggest complaints: Drink at the nurses station = $10,000 fine. 7 ER patients for one nurse = nothing.

Is this the actual fine, $10,000?! Oh, my, I am going to be one expensive nurse if I get caught!

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One of my biggest complaints: Drink at the nurses station = $10,000 fine. 7 ER patients for one nurse = nothing.

What organization are you talking about? JCAHO is strictly an accrediting body. They have no authority to impose fines or sanctions.

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What organization are you talking about? JCAHO is strictly an accrediting body. They have no authority to impose fines or sanctions.

There is a regulatory body in my state, (and I have no idea which one), which has stated in writing that the next 'drink in a unit area' violation at the hospital where I work at will result in a $10,000 fine.

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