We've all had them, the ones who are there visiting a friend/family member and insists on staying the night, all up in our business about meds and diet and such. Yep, that's gonna be me, in about 4 hours. Mom is having surgery, again. At the same hospital she was at last time.
I followed up, wrote the consumer relations people, the manager, heck, every contact I could find. And I got back exactly... nothing, from anyone. No response at all. I have a hard time feeling like things are gonna be any different this time when the admin folks couldn't even be bothered to answer, what seemed to me, very valid concerns.
So, since I plan on making a fixture of myself while she's there, any tips on what I can/should do to make sure she gets what she needs without completely ******* off the staff?
sorry kids, but families taking care of their own loved ones, be they nurses or not, would not sit well with me. it's still my butt regardless of what i do or whether it is a result of something you did. giving mom a bath? not on your life! this is the time i get to know your mom, do my assessment and inspect her body, mind and moral. perhaps after a prolonged stay, maybe, but we'd have to talk about it. help me with mom's little requests, fluff her pillow, pull her covers up or down, hand them their IS but don't even think about delivering care. that's my job! there is no need for you to spend the night with mom. she has a nurse for her needs. she'll need you after she gets out of the hospital, so go home, get a good night's sleep so you can be there when she needs you instead of being exhausted from spending endless nights at her bedside, catching a few winks here and there. maybe it's just the ICU in me, but i'll call you in if i or your mom needs you.
the op's concerns revolved around the fact(s) that sev'l areas of nsg care that weren't done.
not being repo'd, overfilled foley bag, delay in pain meds, dirty linen, warm ice pack, etc.
i'm glad you're feeling you are willing to do all this.
in icu, you don't have the pt load to contend with.
but the stark reality is too many nurses run in a million directions, clearly overworked and stressed to the max.
tending to very basic elements of care is a challenge, to say the least.
there's absolutely nothing wrong w/family helping out, as long as they're made aware of their limitations.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!! I don't even work in a hospital, and I second this!!! There is nothing worse than someone hovering and being in the way when a person is trying to do their JOB! When my dad was in the hospital recovering from knee surgery, I visited, but got out of the way when the staff needed to do something. I knew he was in good hands, and he knew it, too.
If I had a loved one in the hospital, I would want to take care of them too ...... as best as I could, as it should be.
There's a HUGE difference between being in the way and being helpful by taking good care of your loved one. Just as Scribb described ..... I don't see how any of that was "hovering" or "being in the way".
my hubby has had so much surgery that most of the nurses would rather I deal with some of the issues. He is a terrible stick, hard to move, bad lungs, bad heart, and so on. When I move him, easily with a garbage bag and a sheet it stuns them. When I know where to find the blood it stuns them. When I get that IS and have him using it hourly and C/DB its for him, not them. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
The only people permitted to stay overnight on my unit are members of the family of those actively dying.
If families want to assist with care during visiting hours great. But don't come in at 0730 and start demanding that the bed be changed, the patient bathed, the dressing changed, etc. I know my job, I prioritize, NA's give assistance with bathing and make beds. Hell, some dressings are "do not change or touch for 24 hours" by order on my unit. I remember one nurse/daughter tearing it off just before rounds and the surgeons tore her a new one.
i know this is a bit of an "older" thread, but i just had to share.
i almost became "that" nurse...but i didn't!
my fil had a tumor removed from his lung last mon and was dc home wed. mil and sil went in and stayed daily. on wed they walked in and found wrist restraints tied to the bed. here, you have to notify the family if physical/chemical restraints are going to be used.
yup, no phone call. and he had a sitter @ bedside. no one could tell the family why he had been restrained. not cool.
on top of that, he was sent home without dischg. instructions...family had no clue what he could/couldn't do, when he could shower, what to do if complications. nothing.
long story short....thank tptb for implementing the patient rep service. concerns communicated and will be addressed.
just wanted to share.....i now remember how much it sucks to be on the other side of the fence. sometimes you just have to put your game face on and act with sense.
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leslie :-D
11,191 Posts
the op's concerns revolved around the fact(s) that sev'l areas of nsg care that weren't done.
not being repo'd, overfilled foley bag, delay in pain meds, dirty linen, warm ice pack, etc.
i'm glad you're feeling you are willing to do all this.
in icu, you don't have the pt load to contend with.
but the stark reality is too many nurses run in a million directions, clearly overworked and stressed to the max.
tending to very basic elements of care is a challenge, to say the least.
there's absolutely nothing wrong w/family helping out, as long as they're made aware of their limitations.
more families should be getting involved.
it helps the pt and the staff.
leslie:twocents: