Get off the phone

[Rexie]

Occasionally, I'll have a patient who is speaking on the phone when I enter the room with meds for them. Some will tell the person they're speaking with that the nurse just came in and that they have to go. Others, just keep chatting away and pretty much ignore me. If I can, I'll let them be and come back later, but it sometimes puts me behind on my med pass. I recently had one woman who I was able to assess on one of her short breaks between phone calls but other than that, she was pretty much on the phone constantly the whole day (and then complained about having a sore throat and hoorificeness).

I realize that sometimes the phone call is really important but I feel that most of the time, it's just rude to continue the call while the nurse waits to give you your medications and treatments. I feel like I need to be more assertive in asking people to get off the phone but worry about them complaining to management. And you know how focused we are on patient satisfaction scores

Do other nurses out there have the same problem. How do you handle it? Do you bother asking the pt to put down the phone? Are there repercussions?

[Libby1987]

One thing, even if through gritted teeth, make it about their needs not yours. As in they need their meds or treatment for their best interest, not your schedule or just common consideration.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

"Excuse me, Miss Smith? I have medications for you, and think you'll want /need a few minutes before I go...." Then stand there.

Not really a problem; you're politely interrupting to tell them that you are there to help them. If they simply ignore you and keep talking, not much you can do but leave and try later. To which I'd say "Ok, I guess you're pretty busy now. I'll see if I can come back later."

My money's on them hanging up, generally speaking.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Fortunately this is not a big problem in psych: rooms don't have phones in them, there are only 2 or 3 unit phones in the hall for patient use and they have time limits (10 minutes per call) so all patients have a chance to use them, and patients are not allowed to have their cell phones due to privacy concerns.

Still, things happen.

If they're on the phone and I need them for meds/etc., I tell them to find me when they're done...unless it's something that can't wait--in that case, I'll tell them they need to end the call and why.

If the MD is here to see them, I tell that if they don't see the doc now, they risk not being able to see the doc that day because he/she won't wait forever (they'll mark it as "patient refused to see me") and there's no guarantee they will return to the unit later that day. If they haven't taken their meds yet because they haven't gotten off the phone, and they're nearing the edge of the medication window, I tell them they need to stop and take it now or it'll be charted as a refusal. It does seem harsh, but that's what we have to do.

[Libby1987]

"Excuse me, Miss Smith? I have medications for you, and think you'll want /need a few minutes before I go...." Then stand there.

Not really a problem; you're politely interrupting to tell them that you are there to help them. If they simply ignore you and keep talking, not much you can do but leave and try later. To which I'd say "Ok, I guess you're pretty busy now. I'll see if I can come back later."

My money's on them hanging up, generally speaking.

Yes this, or "I'll try to come back later" given with concerned shrug or something, but don't be subservient about it. Strong concern helps make a patient feel cared about and they tend to respond well to that.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I just state in a normal tone "Here are your meds Mrs. Smith" and hold out the cup. Nine times out of ten they will put the phone down at least long enough to take them. If they don't, I state "I can't leave these at the bedside. Can you take them now for me?" I have never to date had anyone not do so but I am sure it happens.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Yes, what notdoneyet said.

Ignore the fact that they're on the phone and firmly move to hand them the cup of pills just as if you would to a patient who wasn't on the phone. It would take a pretty gutsy patient to ignore the nurse in this case. They'll likely set down the phone for a sec and take the meds when you do this.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

If they cooperate, physically, it doesn't bother me. I'm happy they have someone to talk to and I can get in and out of there quickly. If they seem oblivious, I will ask them if they'd like to take their medication or refuse it. If they're still oblivious, that's a refusal.

[Dranger]

One thing, even if through gritted teeth, make it about their needs not yours. As in they need their meds or treatment for their best interest, not your schedule or just common consideration.

Med time is now, I don't have time to come back at your convenience. Put the call on hold or it's a refusal. Customer service mentality in the hospital has gotten insane.

[Libby1987]

Med time is now, I don't have time to come back at your convenience. Put the call on hold or it's a refusal. Customer service mentality in the hospital has gotten insane.

Sounds like it but op mentioned customer satisfaction.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Med time is now, I don't have time to come back at your convenience. Put the call on hold or it's a refusal. Customer service mentality in the hospital has gotten insane.

Hold up. If they don't get off the phone when you want them to, you document refusal and go about your business? Really?

I hate the customer service mentality with a passion, but patients also need their meds. Inconvenient timing does not trump my responsibility to facilitate the medical plan of care.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

It is very rare that a person won't at least put the call on hold when I enter the room. I work in a small community hospital, and I've found that basic courtesy is far more common here than in the big urban trauma center where I used to work. So, it's not usually an issue. When it happens, though, I figure they must not want their Dilaudid and Zofran that badly, so I'll walk out and go attend to someone else. If I can pop my head back in within a few minutes, I will, but the flow in the ER is so unpredictable that I could get caught up in something else and be unavailable for quite some time. If this is the case, I document that I entered the room to give the ordered medications, but the person was on the phone, and that I will try again later.