How do you remember to check on patients q 15min or 2hrs, etc?

[northmississippi]

I'm still a student but i wanted to ask a real nurse how they go about remembering to check on certain patients that require being checked on every 15 min, 2 hrs, or whatever... do you have alarms on your watch? does it pop up on your pc when its time? mental note? Thanks.

[Merlyn]

Mental note

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

I'm still a student but i wanted to ask a real nurse how they go about remembering to check on certain patients that require being checked on every 15 min, 2 hrs, or whatever... do you have alarms on your watch? does it pop up on your pc when its time? mental note? Thanks.

Any way you can. Sometimes during signout, I'll write down some times, but really you just get used to checking based on their condition and why they are there. It's actually kind of amazing how this ability becomes innate after a while. Equipment helps here too. Hook someone up to constant SpO2 and BP monitoring, set the machine for Q15 or whatever and you can see updates every time you peek into their room.

I used to write down a LOT more than I did, so I would advise anyone starting out to make written notes until they get into the swing of things.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

It's usually a mental note... oh... sh*t ,, I should have done that 30' ago!

[MattNurse, MSN, RN]

If I work in a hospital, then I would use a phone on vibrate, not ringer...with a message do your turns, check your pts, etc. That way you know you checked them q two hours. One system around in my area has whiteboards the nurses have to initial every 1-2 hours.

We got rid of this system because people would do the turns and forget to sign off the white board. Then the family would come and accuse you of not turning the patient for the last 12 hours, got messy one time and since we have thrown this public method out the window.

I have a report sheet, write down the times, circle the time, then cross it off when it is done and documented. And I hourly round anyway.

[phillycpnp-pc, MSN, RN, NP]

Sometimes mental notes and sometimes i make check marks on my patient care sheets in increments.

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

For those of us that are not in the technological soaked USA where we do not have monitors wired to a central station it is dangerous to attach a portable VS machine to a pt and set it for 15 min increments as you have no way of alerting you of a drop in BP or anything.

I do the even hour/ on the hour thing for a lot of stuff. And night duty turns of pts have been ground into me as 22.00 02.00 and 06.00! Sometimes when I am on nights I am out of my chair at 2 AM and half way to the pan room to get stuff before I remember that I have no pts that requiring turning!

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Prioritize your most critical patient first, then in descending order. Start with pt #1 and work your way through, as you should be eyeballing each patient each hour anyways. I like using a small pocket memo notebook, and putting times I need to be aware of on each page--a page a patient. And you begin to develop a routine--bed bound patients need to be turned and repo'ed every 2 hours, finger sticks, meds usually given at 9am, (make note of meds at different times) and keep a red pen in your pocket--this is helpful to note some "oddities" in your day ie: q 15 min checks or a random antibiotic infusion....It will become habit, and you will develop a system that is right for you. Other nurses I know have clipboards and have created their own patient sheets that they use that is specific to reminding them about their patients. It is most helpful to students, as it can be customized to the needs you want. Good luck and you WILL "get it"!!

[RNperdiem, RN]

I rely on plain old habit.

The majority of my ICU patients need turning every 2 hours. On those even hours, you turn your patient, do restraint care/documentation, take vital signs, update I&Os and do every thing scheduled Q2 hrs.

For hourly things like eye drops of checking glucose for insulin drips, I rely on my watch.

[Chixie]

I have to set the alarms on my phone (vibrate of course)

[taztim]

I'm a CNAII and I either mental note but if theres alot of them i make notes and alarms on cell on vibrate

[deftonez188]

Nothing fancy, mental note.

Set the alarm clock on your phone if you haven trouble remembering.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

Brain sheet/mental note.