If you could invent nursing supplies, what would it be?

[rn2bn07]

There are so many things in nursing that we use that could have been built or remodeled to better the quality and comfort of our patients. Personally, I hate gluing fecal pouches on pt's bottoms with fragile skin and breakdown. As soon as, the glue hit their skin they are squirming and screaming. Even with intubated pt's, you can tell its painful because their vitals start doing crazy things. I wish I could reinvent something more comfortable and easier to apply these where it would also be effective for the pt and for me.

[Melinurse]

a call bell that starts to zap you after you press it more than 10x/hr

Chux pads with a built-in alarm, that goes off every time a pt pees or poops

The ability to dispense Ativan (or similar drug) throught the air vents. That way, when the agitated pt is destroying the place, rather than have 3 nurses hold him down while a 4th tries to give somehting IM, we could just gas the room, let him calm down and then enter room!

:chuckle Great ideas. Need the ativan mist to go through the whole dang hospital sometimes it seems.

[nghtfltguy, BSN, RN]

well... as *labcat01* stated..

a wireless system would be great!... i hate all of the wires getting tangled up all the time.. as do all of us...

i seriously think that one of my best skills as a nurse is the ability to untangle wires and stuff....im really good @ it.. but it still annoys me..

there should be some wireless stuff that is used as a one time pt use.... then recycled.... we recycle our disposable pulse ox readers.. but let me tell you what... the next thing i would like to have is a pulse ox that can read a baby.. or infant when they are squirming all around... either way... wireless stuff would be the best!!!!!!

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

An infusion pump that knows the difference between a piggyback and the main IV fluids. So that when I forget to unclamp the piggyback, it TELLS me and doesn't pretend like it's running the piggyback when it's really running the main IV fluid.

Actually, this does exist. Ran into it at Tacoma General. Both the primary and secondary go into a special cartraige, the cartraige goes into the pump and thats that. The pump does know which line the fluid is coming from, and if there is a problem with the PB, it lets you know.

[AirforceRN, RN]

That's not really what I'm talking about. Ours have extra channels, so you can run multiple fluids at the same time. But what I'd like is to have is a true "smart" piggyback. You'd be able to run just the piggyback, then have it switch back to the main fluid. Of course, we have that now, but if you accidentally leave the piggyback clamped, the main fluid runs instead, even though the channel says it's running the piggyback. It's also dependent on gravity, so if you don't hang the main bag lower than the piggyback, again, the main fluid runs instead of the piggyback, regardless of what the pump says it's doing.

We have this exact thing...there is a little magic eye that clips onto the drip chamber of the main bag...if it "sees" drips when the piggyback is supposed to be running, it alarms to let you know...saved me a few times.

We have the rectal tubes too "flexiseal" that are used with extensive burn patients (to keep poop off the wounds) and others. They work well but because the balloon isn't in a bag (like the bladder) they end up pressing on all sides of the colon and fistulas have formed...obviously complicating matters.

[koala_bear]

to the person that wants a bed exit alarm that talks - they do make those! we have them - you can set it to alarm when pt exit bed, or you can record something like "lie back down and wait for nurse" - sometimes, we have family record something in the pts native language of course, the problem is that pt then starts looking for the person who is talking!

they're called tabs monitors

[twistedpupchaser]

I know that I watch too many cartoons but I want a bag of many things, you know the bag that Bugs Bunny has that carries everything and anything, yet takes up little space and weighs nothing. Anmd best of all, when you put your hand in, what you ned is the only thing you grab.

I would put the IV and dressing trollies in, half of the drug cupboard and......

[MinnieMomRN]

I know that I watch too many cartoons but I want a bag of many things, you know the bag that Bugs Bunny has that carries everything and anything, yet takes up little space and weighs nothing. Anmd best of all, when you put your hand in, what you ned is the only thing you grab.

The way my luck runs, it would be , made by the Acme Company --- you know the same place where Wyle E. Coyote gets his stuff.

My wish would be an IV pump that doesn't beep 'occulusion' with the slightest movement no matter the IV site!

[rn2bn07, BSN, RN]

I just thought of another one...I would like to be able to just say what i'm doing and the computer picks up your voice and types it all out for you, vitals, procedures, assessments, everything.

[Diploma'82]

I think all these ideas are great! The ICU that I just started working in has a system that pulls the pt up in the bed we just turn the crank, unfortunately it isn't like the towel thingy someone spoke of, ours has to be un wound and pulled back down (which is SOOO fun with the pt in the bed).

[Babs0512]

I would invent a robotic DON - who was actually programmed to listen to and try to help the RN's working under them. That would be a great invention!!

[BookwormRN]

Here is a website for a pump similar to the ones we have on our unit.

http://www.physiciansresource.net/12005.html

THEY ARE GREAT!!!! Note the cassette tubing: you hook your piggyback line to the blue secondary line-no need to lower the primary bag. You have to program in line B. If it's clamped, the machine will beep "occlusion."

These pumps are wonderful!

[mcknis]

Or, how about a zapper for MDs who dont behave or listen to you!

Love the Ativan idea. Just a little for me and a whole lot for you!