Published Jun 20, 2005
Ms.RN
917 Posts
so what happens if a nurse pages doctor several times about patient and doctor doesnt return calls? if something does happen to a patient, is this nurse held liable? i even gave a report to a next shift nurse, but she didnt do anything about it. i did chart "no return call from doctor" , but i wonder if i'm still liable.
MS._Jen_RN, ASN, RN
348 Posts
You are most likely not liable. You did you part of the job and charted that you did it. If is were and emergent/urgent situation I would have gone to the next guy up the chain. Not answering pages is not acceptable. (I assume you checked to see that the person you were paging was on call etc.)
~Jen
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,036 Posts
document, document, document! each time you try to call, document.
as the previous poster said, make sure that you were paging the correct physician . . . sometimes they trade call.
if you're paging the right person and they still aren't returning your calls, then go up the chain of command -- yours and theirs. even in private hospitals, there are options. let your charge know the problem, and she/he may be able to help. if you're the charge, go up your chain of command . . . the nursing supervisor or your nurse manager, and document that you did so and what their response was. call the doctor's partners if necessary.
as a charge nurse in a private hospital, i once tried to contact a nephrologist to write dialysis orders for a patient who needed acute dialysis. the nephrologist wasn't returning calls -- he had a reputation for that sort of thing. i contacted the nursing supervisor who called the man's partners one by one until she got in touch with someone who could give us the orders we needed. they didn't appreciate being bothered on their days off, and took care of the problem with their partner. another time, i called the medical director of our unit who came in and took care of the patient and then went straight to his colleauge's home to take care of that problem.
you just need to be sure that the patient's situation requires all that, too.
hope this helps,
ruby
imn2nursing
43 Posts
The protocol at our hospital is to let the house supervisor know as well when the MD doesn't call back. If it is a resident, I definitely page the senior resident. I have had this situation happen several times. It is very frustrating.:angryfire Especially when the patient needs something to make them more comfortable or you are concerned with their status.
lewwilann
15 Posts
It is a little more difficult to find or get a hold of some docs when you are a LTC facility. No interns, residents, attendings. Do they have a service to take calls?
If this happens, I keep calling the service and letting them know how important this is. If no response, call the medical director for orders....
leslie :-D
11,191 Posts
definitely document the times of the calls to the doctor w/return call pending.
get the names of the employee at the answering service. i've had doctors deny ever getting calls and i gave them the name(s) of who i spoke with, and they backed right down.
inform your adon/don, who will probably advise you to call the medical director.
but the most important intervention is to thoroughly document.
and if your pt needs to be sent out, do not wait for a return call...send the pt out-nsg judgement.
best wishes,
leslie
Antikigirl, ASN, RN
2,595 Posts
YEP! Document every detail about when you called and if you left a pager number, phone number, or message. Document who you talked to if applicable (like a message service or receptionist). This will prove that you did everything you were supose to have done! If the situation is very urgent, go to the next step, which in my facility is 9-11 (I am in assisted living).
I had a weekend from heck one time, and the power went off in the message service that almost all my MD's use! So I had two urgent situations that needed answers but you couldn't get through at all! No one knew what was going on...
Oh boy our local ER was SWAMPED! Because of that answering service being down with no answers...we all sent to the ER! Oh boy that was a tough day for all (I sent two...respiratory distress and a possible complication from a recent hip replacement). My husband was working that day (paramedic) and said it was non stop nursing home calls all over the county!
But the fact that I documented each and every call I can not be found liable! And once I found out for SURE what had happened I also noted that in the chart for future reference so that I would not be questioned about it!!!