I need some help please!!

Hoozdo, ADN · Apr 19, 2007

Well, here's two ideas that need changing on my unit:

1. Why to use both pain medication and sedation drugs on an intubated patient. Some doctors only use sedation drugs! :trout:

2. Use a sepsis protocol (AKA bundle) when admitting and writing orders for a newly admitted patient that is septic. You will find lots of evidence based practice on this one.

smartynurse · Apr 19, 2007

What type of unit do you work on ? Think of various activities/interventions that you do there: are there any that could benefit from EVB? An example would be: if you work with trach patients, do you use saline irrigation? There is EVB out there that suggests you shouldn't. A great place to review EVB is the Joanna Briggs website:

http://www.joannabriggs.edu.au/about/home.php

Focusing on nurse-patient education would be great! Or even nurse advocacy issues on your unit...there are many avenues to explore. You could do a survey of whatever it is that you think your unit could use more education, then develop a care plan, then evaluate it somehow. Good luck!

Lorie P. · Apr 20, 2007

How about education on making sure that patients understand what an Advance-Directive is? I had a patient's family bring in a copy of the pt's WILL, thinking that is what they needed. Just an idea!

kristen1024 · Apr 20, 2007

thanks everyone for the input and the ideas.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2007

something i've done for years is develop my own report sheet for taking report and organizing my shift. [attach]5032[/attach] you are about to go out into the world of nursing. organizing and delegating are things that new grads worry a lot about.

another thing i did years ago was develop a template for time stripping iv bags. we had to time strip all our iv bags years ago (before pumps) and if you've ever looked at the way the bags are marked, they drove me nuts because they are marked at every 50cc. a big help when most of your ivs are to run at 80cc an hour! so, one day i took an empty bag home and cut the grid out of it and proceeded to copy it onto paper and then figure out where the tick marks should be made for ivs running at 60, 80 and 75cc an hour. i placed the paper in a heavy plastic sheet protector and took it to work. when i needed to time strip an iv bag i would place a piece of tape up to the premarked scale, mark my tape, and just put the tape on the new bag of iv fluids. it was a pretty accurate scale. i used it for years.

another thing i did was make a sheet to help me remember the steps i needed to follow when a patient had chest pain because i would forget one thing or another which i would discover when i sat down to chart the episode. i still have the sheet because i laminated it with clear contact paper and carried it on clipboard for many years.

one of the projects i did for one of my patients in my bsn program was to make flannel tops that had snaps down the front and on the arms so that she could take them on and off like a blouse and so we could all her iv tubings through the arms (she was on long term iv therapy). what a project trying to figure out how to turn regular seams into break away sleeves. good thing i knew how to sew. had a number of discussions with my instructor about the possibility of starting a business making custom clothing for people with casts on their arms and legs or clothing for preemies. i was putting captain kangaroo sized pockets on my uniform tops long ago to accommodate all the junk i had to carry around in my pockets at work. then, someone came out with the fanny pack!

listen to what people are complaining about. think about what you wish were better. usually, it will turn out to be something so incredibly simple you'll be smacking your head!

TigerGalLE, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2007

How big is your hospital? For my senior leadership project my partner and I developed a Rapid Response Team for the hospital.. Lots of work but I think it paid off!