Outformed

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

Help!!! I'm drowning in forms!!!! It seems lately that everytime I come to work, there is a NEW FORM that we'll be using hanging up by the timeclock for all to see and admire. The latest is an addendum to our patient admission record. They want us now to review ALL the patient's meds upon admission (going to whatever source necessary, pt's pharmacy, nursing home records, etc, etc) to make sure THE DOCTOR IS NOT MAKING A MEDICATION ERROR IN HIS/HER DOCTOR's ORDERS FOR THE PATIENT. Like we have all the time in the world to be pursuing this. If there is a discrepancy, then we are to call the doctor to let him or her know!!!! Try doing this at 3AM! Somebody at our institution simply has too much time on their hands, coming up with all these forms and ideas and it's always the nurse who has to do it! :(

So many forms, not any time left for the patients!!! :(

[wildtime88]

This form sounds like a pharmacy function.

There is no sense in complaining. many other nurses will just simply fall in line and do what they are told.

If only you could rally support and simply refuse to do it as a group, then the form would go away.

Then again if you personally refused to do it, then maybe the others would say, "if she does not have to do it, then why should I do it".

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

WHEN did this stop being a part of the hospital admisson process?? This is top priority in home care admissions.....can't tell you HOW MANY vital meds from prior to hospitalization are missed on discharge assessment or not given in hospital, dosages extremely high, meds not filled, or no RX given, meds not on HMO formulary etc. NURSES are the checks and balances in the system.

Now in this day and age of increased Pharmacy staffing ( old days one pharmacist and tech in 250 bed place:D ) pharmacist should follow-up what nurses initially reviewed with patients.

Saved many doctors tush over the years AND prevented patient complications and deaths.

Because we are "too busy" we're giving away our practice......PT's now staff most wound care centers in my area!

[wildtime88]

I do not believe this is the initial medication list that most of us are familiar with. I think this is a form that is intended to hold the nurse directly accountable for the physician's medical orders. I do not believe this is quite the same as saving someone else's butt. I could be wrong, but I think she is describing a little bit different type of a form.

Where I have worked at it is has been pretty much the physician and pharmacist validate the medication orders. I have seen to many docs searching through old charts and LTC paper work to find present medications and doses. Some docs have gotten wise with phone orders and just give an order to "continue with home meds."

I know how hard it is at 3am. it can be tough to get good answers from sick patients who do not have a list or their home meds with them. If you are on the floor, heaven forbid, you pass this piece of paper like this on to the incoming shift.

This is not directed at anyone, I just cant resist.

Didn't you know that patients sleep all night, so you have no excuses? Yea right.

[Cubby]

Shhh...

Please don't let anyone at my facility hear about your new form.They will want one too! It does seem that every time we have any kind of survey a new form comes of it.Guaranteed to "make life easier for everyone" Yeah right! I am sick to death of forms.All we ever do, it seems, is fill out another form "to make life easier".Heaven forbid we should actually take care of our patients. It has to stop somewhere does'nt it? Please?!!

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Does your place not have a "forms committee"? It would seem that there would need to be this and a rules/procedure policy written AT LEAST.

We always had to get a complete list and then confirm with the doctor. The famous "continue all meds" was stopped by just this very thing. The doctor/pharmacist link was the final step in orders. NOT the Nurse!

Just wait til you go paperless if you want to see what he** really is!! NO forms just SCREENS!

[deespoohbear]

I just posted a thread like this on the Medical-Surgical board. Our facility just added 2 more forms to our never ending list. One is about advanced directives and life sustaining measures and the other is a high fall risk assessment. Drives me crazy! I asked our manager today when I am I suppose to provide pt care? Two admits in my shift and my day is shot! We double document everything (at the least)!! And the one thing that really gets my goat is the people who are adding these forms for us are not the people who are working at the bedside and providing direct patient care! I work in a Med/Surg unit where I usually have 6-7 patients on days. I think the management making these decisions need to come and work direct patient care SEVERAL times a month to get in touch with reality! I told my manager that contrary to what the higher ups may believe, I do have a life outside of the hospital. I have decided that I can only do so much in my 12 hour shift. After that I am going home!! I have a feeling that the work will be there for me the next time I come to work!! I am glad that their are others who feel the same way I do about drowning in forms!!