Interruptions During Med Pass

[Jo Dirt]

There is nothing worse than being interrupted all through your med pass. Do any facilities out there enforce any rules to keep the nurses from being interrupted? We are repeatedly taken away from our med carts to answer the phone, go get a patient a soda, answer call lights, look up and see who is coming to the dining room for supper...

I was hoping to find a way to ask the nurse educator to bring this up at the next inservice.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

In our faclity it is kinda impossible to stop this 100% since we are so small and the nurse wears so many hats...esp in the off shits and weekends. I think you need to be consistant and firm. Delegate a ton and just say "no" The call light issue is a tough one. I do answer lights and will find out what is needed and most often do it. The running for a soda or things like that...thats the limit I refuse to answer the phone if there is office staff around or I know there is staff at the desk. That might be a think to ask of the others...PT/OT/ the RD, Activities...they can answer the phones too...

[Furwillfly]

Ya, this is a tough one! It's non-stop isn't it:angryfire I worked at a facility once where on the nurses cart or at the nurses station there was a notebook that would be written in so the nurse wouldn't be inturrupted quite so much. For stuff that didn't need addressed imm. It did help, would go look at it when I got a chance and take care of what I could when I could.

At the facility am at now, we have walkie talkies, they help too. You don't have to run someone down for everything from phones, to help you cant give at the time, to checking on a supper resident, to a puddle on the floor and you need a housekeeper.

[Butterfliesnroses]

What are the aides doing? Where I work the nurses do have to answer phones (especially at night and evenings) along with all other staff...But the aides get the soda, answer call lights, ect.

[Cindy_A]

I have heard that interruptions during med passes are the greatest cause of med errors. I have not worked any where that I NEVER got interrupted. It happens all the time. I hate to sound like a smarta**, but you can talk about it all you want, you'll still get interrupted!

[MelodyRNurse]

If I could just pass my meds without interruptions it would take me half the time. The notebooks a good idea.