Patients Calling your Cordless Extension???

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Hi,

I work on a very busy Med-Surg Unit.

The NM says we have a new policy; we are going to start writing our cordless extension numbers on the white boards so the patients can call our cordless phones if they need anything.

She also wants us to write on the white board when we give them pain med so they will "know when the next dose is due."

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Is this sort of thing happening anywhere else?

I can't see the sense in it ~ if a patient is lying there, watching the clock and they call you, expecting pain med right away, then you are going to have to get there pronto or explain why not.

Which is what we basically do now......

More pressure, more stress.

I don't think the patients should be calling our extension while we are trying to do patient care or involved in a med pass or treatment. If they need toileting, etc., the nurse aide can answer their call light and assist them - if they need pain med then the nurse aide can THEN call our extension and alert us that the patient is requesting pain medication. That is pretty much the routine now, with some of the CNAs.

One in particular will call me and let me know that the patient has requested a PRN.

I just think it's ridiculous to give our Ext. # to patients when we already have to answer the phone with calls from the lab, pharmacy, and what have you. Just my opinion.....I mean, I can just imagine being busy in one patient's room and getting a phone call fron another patient informing me that it's "time" and they need their pain med now......sigh......:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

...on our floor we have radiation rooms so it would be ok for a pt. there to have my phone #. The phones can be a blessing in letting me know my new admit is here or if a PRN is needed. If it rings while I am not hands-free and can't answer, I will then call the nurses station when I can to see wht it was for.

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I love the phones. At Mayo all staff had their own phone and at the beginning of each shift a fax was sent out to all the major departments listing who had each phone. If the lab or pharmacy had an issue they could call me directly and it saved time in the end. At first it was annoying but in the end it saved a bundle of time AND... we didn't have to listen to a ringing phone at the nurses station when all of us were too busy to answer.

How many times has a phone been ringing off the hook and you stop what you are doing to answer and it is for a coworker that can't respond anyway? Better to have them call the coworker directly and voice mail is a blessing.

Take your own calls, let coworkers take theirs. It works.

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.

We carry the cordless phones. Our pt's don't have the number, tho.

However, our unit secretary has each number as well as our co-workers. So if there is a call from a dept. the secretary transfers it right to our phone.

If a pt calls, the secretary can call us & relay the message. It works well, actually. I work nites, & we don;t carry the phones unless we are charge as there really isn't much of a need.

I work on a pretty small unit right now, tho

Mary Ann

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were i work as the div1 i carry a phone but this is basiclly if an outside call comes in if your not in the nurses station. we also have pagers for there call bells. they dont ring except for the pager going off and working nights i tend to have it on vibrate. this is great as with the old system a patient would press there bell and it would wake up everyone and then they would be on the buzzer.

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Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.

We do put the numbers on the board, and others are right, many, especially the elderly don't use them but find them comforting. One tip is to make sure that the number is written LARGE enough so that the patient can SEE it.

It does come in handy when they do use it, and I have never had a patient complaint due to not answering the first call, they usually assume that they dial wrong :rotfl:

Believe me, when you work in a unit with primary care, you will learn to appreciate the patients that call and say " Can I have some more tissues", or I just spilled my dinner all over the bed" so that I can go into the room prepared. I run around enough as it is.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Well that would be a good point, except how is this a violation of HIPPA?

Being that the white board is in the patient's room....?

It wouldn't be much different than taking a paper out of the chart and tacking it on the wall.

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Wow, another benefit of rural nursing. No phones to carry around. :nurse:

I just can't imagine it.

As to the white board (we don't have them) . . . displaying med information would be a violation of the patient's privacy due to visitors and other staff coming into the room (housekeeping, lab, etc).

steph

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

we have a 'vocera' system that is awful, it hangs around your neck and it a hands free device, but it's always choppy, like you are using a cell phone in a tunnel...

hate it

linda

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

RE Pain meds time posting on white board...

Cold post innocuous statement and time like:

a. Next Dose due ___

b. Recheck ____

c. RN revist_____

Only you and patient would be aware what statment is about. Visual reminder of last dose help decrease anxiety/forgetfulness ever given etc.

Stement needs to be standardized for entire unit so all understand.

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Yes, there are ways to post generically and vaguely so you are not violating HIPPA.

I can kindof go along w/the patients' having our #, after reading the "benefits" here; but what I don't like is having to basically add more charting: having to go to the white board and "chart" every time you give a pain med and then "next dose due".....I mean.....we have ALOT of paperwork already.

Tons of it.

I was glad to discover that the charting was on Medi-Tech, when I took this job.

Oh, joy......finally....computer charting. I was thinking "streamline"...I've finally hit "streamlined".....then I discovered all this OTHER stuff....with meds, they've got extra charting added to that already, not nurse-friendly...now they're wanting us to chart times on white boards.

Alot (not all) of our admits are already very tuned-in to "next dose due" and the last thing I want is more calls from people who are probably already setting their alarm clock for next dose due..........if you know what I mean LOL.

:coollook:

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