Lab draws

[WalMart_ADN]

Hey guys, i just want your opinion on something......

i work pediatrics, and for a while it has been routine to WAKE the kids up at 0530-0600 ish to draw their labs, then send them back to bed. What do you guys do? I'm currently on a stretch of night shifts, and parents get upset, and rightly so i think. We wake the kids up, who most of the time don't get a lot of sleep anyway, usually wake the roommate up in the process, traumatize them with the poking, then expect them to just go back to sleep? No way, those kids are up for the duration after that. We've sort of been leaning towards changing policy to wait for the kids to wake up for the morning, and doing it then. However, this leaves it for day shift, who gets pizzy when we do that (and YES i've worked days and know how busy it is, before that get's dredged up again). I guess i'm just looking for insight, what is your policy, and what do you think is more appropriate?

and BTW, i have NO ISSUES with drawing AM labs from lines, or from babies if they wake up to eat, or if the kids wake up before I leave. and obviously if it's a gent peak or something, that gets done too. I just mean, like the Q AM cbc's and stuff.

[sunnygirl272]

remind the parents they have the right to refuse....

[peggywi_RN]

where i work we wait until after 7am -8am to wake the kids up for AM lab draws unless the doc specifically needs the results by 7am ; we do the same for the kids with lines in..as we usually have more staff on the day shift to draw off the lines...the only drawback is the results sometimes arent always there when the docs round and we have to call them with the results when they are in the computer

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Early draws allow the labs to be there when the docs round.....therefore the nurses don't have to call them in.

That's about all the advantage there is. If the docs are OK with them not being there at 0715 when they come through then I say let the kids sleep.

Now I have only worked Adult floors but sometimes there were 30-40 different tests for 0500.

[memphispanda, RN]

IMO, one of the many differences in dealing with adults and peds is taking into considerations the different needs that go along with different ages. Heck, if there weren't different needs, why would there be pediatric hospitals?

Anyway, I would look into getting the policy changed...The kids might even get better quicker if they can get their rest. I know there are a lot of reasons that it's easier on the nurse or doctor to do the draws early, but isn't the patient the one who is supposed to come first?

[lovebigdogs]

I work on the peds floor occassionally and we put the labs in for 7am then put in a comment to have them(lab) call or we will call when the patient is awake.:)

That makes sense to me. Sick kids sleep like sh*t and the more they can get the better...especially if they were up all night then are awakened for a lab draw right after they fall asleep. That is just for the general, routine ones now the timed ones are a different story.