Nurses Relations
Published Apr 23, 2011
You are reading page 3 of Difficult Doctors...Vent
interleukin
382 Posts
Documenting, "Pt condition reported to Dr. Whoever. No orders given," is not good enough. A doc can claim you omitted important information, and a year later your memory will be faulty.
Documentation should read: "Changes to pt condition(list change) specifically detailed and conveyed to Doc Whoever during 16:00 phone call...he/she voiced disconcern...no orders given."
If you ever have to recount details long past, you'll be happy you took the extra minute to write in a manner that unambiguously reflects your actions and prevents a lawyer from spinning the information/event against you.
joanna73, BSN, RN
4,767 Posts
That's basically how I documented it. Pt condition, doc notified, no orders, doc will assess pt in am.
xx--RN--xx
19 Posts
Chart...chart ...chart!
XYZ problem.
Notified Dr. A of XYZ.
Dr. A gave no new orders at this time.
CYA so you can live to nurse another day!
platon20
268 Posts
Can you call another doctor re the patient? A specialist maybe?
No, this is inappropriate except in circumstances where a patient needs an ICU bed and the primary doctor wont call you back. Only in that circumstance is it OK to call another doctor (ICU doc).
I'd be making a quick, anonymous call to the medical director about this - or get a few nurses together to complain - and get something done.
I agree with this; best way to go.
One of those patients is in acute renal failure and needs to be assessed. Call a nephrology doctor for a consult instead.
Call a nephrology doctor for a consult instead.
bsveillon
53 Posts
Well, all I can say is, something needs to be done. I can't tell you to do what I would do, because I don't know what your outcome would be! But I know, I've risked disciplinary action(and received it) to let a Dr. know how I feel. This has nothing to do with how he treated me, but he's not even paying attention to the pt.! I told him, if this was my grandmother in the hospital, and you showed this lack of concern, and something happened, you WOULD be sued. Why should I care less because instead of my grandmother, it's a pt. NO! Do your job that you get paid too much for! Do it or let someone else do it for you!
Again, perhaps you aren't in a situation to do something that outspoken, but you must do something.