How do you take blood pressures for 90 people?

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I have to do that along with blood sugars, flow sheets, feedings, and colostomies in 7 hours. Any advice? I have another nurse to help me but he/she usually does the blood sugars which is like 14 people. So it's one person doing 90 people's blood pressures. Please help. Thanks.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
I have to do that along with blood sugars, flow sheets, feedings, and colostomies in 7 hours. Any advice? I have another nurse to help me but he/she usually does the blood sugars which is like 14 people. So it's one person doing 90 people's blood pressures. Please help. Thanks.

Is this LTC. It has been a while since I worked in LTC, but do you take everyone's BP every day?

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Yes I have to take everyone's BP every day.

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Take two machines in the room at once? One on each patient?

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This is a new one. When I worked LTC, only remember doing BP's on certain categories: new admits, recent falls (along with rest of neuro checks), change of condition, medicare patients, parameters for BP meds as ordered by the doctor. Everybody? Just for general principle? Doesn't make sense. What a waste of effort. Off hand can't think of a reasonable rationale for doing it for everybody, every shift. Has admin ever given an explanation? Dying to hear it.

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This is a new one. When I worked LTC, only remember doing BP's on certain categories: new admits, recent falls (along with rest of neuro checks), change of condition, medicare patients, parameters for BP meds as ordered by the doctor. Everybody? Just for general principle? Doesn't make sense. What a waste of effort. Off hand can't think of a reasonable rationale for doing it for everybody, every shift. Has admin ever given an explanation? Dying to hear it.

I guess if the client is about to cross the great divide, they want to memorialize it with a BP. I do think I remember something similar. Like odd room numbers on one day, even room numbers on another. That's how we used to chart: Days even, evenings odd for the patients who were boring. If they did something unusual we would chart, of course. And nights only if they died, because they were hopefully sleeping.

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab.

Stupid question, I guess, but you don't have aides to do any of that?

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Specializes in Adult Primary Care.

Why isn't the other nurse with 14 blood sugars doing half of the blood pressures?

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This is a new one. When I worked LTC, only remember doing BP's on certain categories: new admits, recent falls (along with rest of neuro checks), change of condition, medicare patients, parameters for BP meds as ordered by the doctor. Everybody? Just for general principle? Doesn't make sense. What a waste of effort. Off hand can't think of a reasonable rationale for doing it for everybody, every shift. Has admin ever given an explanation? Dying to hear it.

This is my experience too. I also am wondering why management wants everyone's vitals every day.

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Specializes in Case Manager/Administrator.

I would get clarification of BP for 90 patients daily. If so I break it down into manageable can you do 30 each shift or say 45 each shift and do you have an aid to assist? This clearly is puzzling and really a patient concern because those darn BP machines hurt, why would you allow a patient to be subjected to this on a daily basis and cause pain? If I was a patient there and you approached me daily I would tell you to buzz off.

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I work on a unit where I have to do a lot of blood sugars and insulin AC and HS. I also do about 15 to 20 BP's for Medicare patients, for parameters, and those receiving certain treatments and it's usually by myself. 80 seems quite excessive. I do the vitals which takes about 45 minutes and then start doing the Accuchecks. The cuffs and sphygs supplied on the unit are quite crappy, so I bought a set of cuffs with a quality sphyg and it shaves a little time off. The valves don't stick, the cuffs fit better and are easier to put on and take off, and the palm aneroid makes the task much easier. I do agree that there should be another aide assisting with vitals which will free up time for more important tasks.

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...one at a time friend. :cyclops:

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