How do you take blood pressures for 90 people?

[wandwaving]

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.

[Alex_RN, BSN]

I really hope you have the vital signs machines that automatically upload to your EMR, but I've never seen that outside of acute care.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

Why on earth would 90 people need BP's every day? That's kind of an insane policy. We do monthly vitals on all residents, the load is split between shifts and the CNA's do them. The only times the nurse is doing vs is for change of condition, medicare charting which is not that many residents, BP's are written into parameters for some orders but again, not that many. At most I do 5 a day. I suppose 90 is possible if that's pretty much the only thing you are doing but somehow I doubt if that's the case.

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

You don't. You find another job where there is safe staffing. Might not be the most helpful answer but it is the best one I've got.

[KrysyRN, BSN]

What a complete waste of time. Shame on the person that came up with this policy. The only way this would be manageable would be if this was your sole task during your shift.

You may want to consider documenting the average time it takes to obtain the BPs each shift, as well as the average time it takes to do the other tasks. Bring this to your supervisor or manager. Show them that what they are asking of you is impossible to do in 8 hours. Ask for multiple sized BP cuffs as well as a wrist cuff because the faulty equipment the facility provides is giving inaccurate readings--you need new equipment now--you are wasting valuable time using faulty equipment only to get inaccurate readings. Ask the facility to schedule an extra person to help during your shift, even if it is for a few hours.

I can imagine you might be laughing at these suggestions because some LTC facilities and the like are notorious for their unsafe and impossible-to-complete-in-8-hour assignments, lack of help, and faulty or missing equipment. And that they are aware and do nothing to change it.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

Don't kill yourself. Do what you can and ask for help. That is insane! Target the patients with blood pressure issues first and rotate the out others. Sally, Bob and Joe get bps these two weeks. John, Ron and Karen get theirs the other two weeks of the month.. Ronald and Kelly who are hypertensive will get theirs every time I work.

[Julius Seizure]

How do you take blood pressures for 90 people?

One arm at a time.

(Get it? Like "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.")

I'll see myself out...

[NamasteLVN, LPN, LVN]

I would delegate to CNA of course take some youself maybe for the more complicated patient's.