Overdoing VS!!

1. Do any of you feel like your unit does this? I wonder if I am being a diligent nurse or a neurotic one. We do vitals on everyone at least twice a shift if not more. This is when they are only ordered BID or the doctor does not specify them at all. Then we even wake people up to do vitals just because we feel we should. Does anyone else do this?

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2. 

   About stella123 rn

   Joined: May '03; Posts: 80; Likes: 1

   17 Comments

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3. 
   Jul 8, '03

   Our unit protocol is vital signs every four hours because we are a telemetry unit.
4. 
   Jul 8, '03

   We had people qshift, q4, q2 or more often....
   
   renerian
5. 
   Jul 8, '03

   q4h and q8h is our standard, never BID.
6. 
   Jul 8, '03

   all residents, OD at my LTC facility. If they're sick, qshift.
7. 
   Jul 8, '03

   vital signs are q4 hours on all stable pp patients, GYNIES, and newborns. more often if fresh delivery/csection of course. and we must chart on babies at LEAST q2h.
8. 
   Jul 8, '03

   Full head to toe assessments with VS q four hours, VS more often if needed, obviously. This is on a cardiac surgical step down unit. If the patient has been really stable, I certainly don't wake them in the middle of the night though, as long as they are a good 3 days post op, at least. What kind of unit do you work on, stella123 rn? If you think a patient is rock stable and doesn't need q four hour VS, then just do q shift, unless there's a change in the patient.
9. 
   Jul 8, '03

   Q4 for Teles, recent post-ops/admits (after post-op vitals, of course.) Q8 if they're stable and have been there at least 3 days.
10. 
    Jul 8, '03

    q1 hr in the unit unless otherwise specified by the doc. More often if needed or if administering a blood transfusion. PACU has it's own VS protocol and the floor does q4 on fresh post opsx24hr and then q8 unless ordered other wise.
11. 
    Jul 8, '03

    What kind of unit are you on stella? Your profile is kinda blank....
12. 
    Jul 8, '03

    I am on a med/surg unit. We often get NH placement patients/inability to care for self at home. No IVs, no med changes....it just seems that we over do it sometimes. The docs write BID. We often do them every 4 hours instead. I do not know, just thinking.
13. 
    Jul 8, '03

    If they are stable, it seems like qshift would be sufficient.
    
    In tele, we did them q4h. In CCU, we do full assessments q2h.
14. 
    Jul 8, '03

    Unless post op or blood etc. q4 for 1st 48 h of admission then q 8. But no one stays over 48h it seems anymore.

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