I would like the ability to say, "no." As in, "No, I will not call the doctor and ask him to give you Dilaudid for your sprained ankle." "No, you do not get all the pillows in the facility to yourself." "No, we will not be doing CPR on your 97 year old grandmother with terminal cancer." "No, I will not bring you a second breakfast. Just because it's a diabetic meal doesn't mean you can have as much as you want."
I suppose this fits under the "Customer Service" post of Viva's.
I'd really like an updated system so I could see, online, somewhere in the patient's profile, the "likely time" procedures would be done on a patient. I hate when a patient is NPO for breakfast and lunch, and no info to give them (unless I make a few time consuming phone calls). Even if it would be something like "patient 7 of 9 on list, likely time y:zz". We used to see the dialysis scheduled times before our hospital outsourced dialysis (now the inpatients don't get any meals or medications during dialysis).
Thinking that a pt has this right or that right, even if it means it's clearly not in their best interest or unjustly minimizes what we do or offends us in some way just so the hosp doesn't get sued. I work in a rehab/mental facility and the one think I hate is that there is a phone on each unit for the pts to use when ever they want. If they are there for rehab and to change the way they think, wouldn't it be wise to earn the privilege to use the phone instead of calling your "supplier" everyday to let them know how you're doing? I am constantly yelled at, cursed at and treated horribly. Sometimes I do tell the pt, "I am not disrespecting you; so, if you want something from me I expect the same in return" Just so tired of hospitals thinking the pt is "right" and we are to do what ever they want. Sometimes saying NO is the best thing.
Brian, ASN, RN
3 Articles; 3,695 Posts
What would you change in nursing if you could?