Pneumatic tube systems....

[deespoohbear]

We are getting a spanking brand new hospital!! This is a real feat for us because the one we are working in now is from the Florence Nightingale era. (Not quite maybe, but close). Management is trying to pretend that they are actually interested in what the nurses are saying we need. One thing that a lot of us really think would be a real time saver and a tremendous help would be a tube system. You know, like the kind they have at the drive thru at the banks? Well of course we are being shot down by administration and maintenance. Administration says it costs too much and maintenance says they plug up all the time. (My next question for them is how the heck do they know since we have never ever had one? Plus they seem to be pretty popular at the drive thru banks.) I need some reasons why this would be a good idea. The ones I have come up with is:

1. We can tube stuff to lab.

2. Pharm. can tube stuff to us and vica versa.

3. Admitting can send up paperwork.

4. It would save countless steps and energy for us.

5. We could tube reqs to purchasing.

For those of you who work in a hospital with a tube system, how has it benefited the staff? What about maint. problems? Have any of you ever worked in a facility that had the tube system and then went to one that didn't? Any help for this would be appreciated it. Thanks...

Becky

[jemb]

I've worked places with tube systems as well as several without (including one county hospital with about 800 beds!) Where I currently work, the tube system is a terrific timesaver. We don't get products from the blood bank through it, though, and I would be very hesitant to send any stat lab specimen via tube in case it ended up in the wrong place or stuck in the system somewhere. Our system won't deliver if the reception bin is full, so it is possible for a delay to happen. However, in the six years at this particular place, the system has never been down for repairs.

[Sleepyeyes]

First time I saw the tube system, I thought it was probably useless. Just goes to show ya... :chuckle:

Now that I've worked with it, I LOVE it! 'Course, we send our blood specimens (from line draws) in special red padded tubes, and we don't tube blood or stool samples, or large amounts of liquid anything through the tubes. |This is especially a godsend when a pt comes up from ER with med orders that have to be pulled from pharmacy by the supervisor, who usually has about 4 million other things to do than to walk meds to the floors.

Our system has gone down about 3 times in the past year, so yes! this system is well worth it, and ultimately saves money in wasted time.

[niteshiftnurse]

love it when it works, hate it when it goes down

[NICU_Nurse, BSN, RN]

I LOVE ours, but it goes down frequently (if there is a possibility that we have the Clark Griswold of tube systems, this might explain it!). When I say frequently, I mean it will work for a week and be down for another one. I don't know why it takes so long to fix. We send all specimens down, double baggie-d and in a ziploc biohaz bag, in a padded tube. Blood bank stuff also comes in a special tube. It has gotten stuck before, and specimens had to be redrawn and brought by hand, but generally, it's a huge timesaver. For instance, when our infamous pharmacy claims they haven't gotten any of the fifty faxes sent down for STAT meds, I run a copy off and tube it down and say, I sent a hard copy, so I'll expect that med up here, okay? End of argument. ;>) Sorry, I'm mad at pharm lately...so disorganized, but another thread entirely.

[mother/babyRN, RN]

Working in a hospital that does have a "pig" system ( thats what they call it), and coming from one that didn't. Saves much time especially with stat specs to the lab that we can't bring down due to the staffing difficulty. I can't imagine how I ever survived without one. Must cost a pretty penny..Thats why they don't want it, until one of them or their families needs something sent asap and due to their cost saving measures, there just aren't enough staff or ways to get things moving quickly. I guess I am jaded...

[Liann]

Our tube system is a mixed blessing. I work in the Blood bank, and we are the only tube station on our side of the floor. therefore, the OR, surgical pathology and microbiology share this station with us. We also have the responsibility of emptying the shuttles and making sure the stuff gets to the proper dept. This can be a real pain when we get busy...which is all the time!!!

We only send blood products through the shuttles to ICU. They send a special slip to us when they are ready for a product and we sign it and ship it right up, where they are expecting its arrival.

Leaking micro specimens are a problem, and pharmacy is irate when micro stuff gets put into pharmacy shuttles...ewww. Gotta have someone empty out the shuttles at all stations constantly too- if not, the system grinds to a halt because one station is hogging all the shuttles.

Our system is down every so often because of leaks. Ususally its because of overstuffing the shuttle and it pops open somewhere along the line. Our main lab is about a block away from the hospital and the shuttle system runs under the street to get there, so sometimes the shuttles arrive wet on the OUTSIDE! :)

Also...we do the blood gas testing, and have been told by our medical director that we must REJECT any syringe that arrives from across the street in the shuttle because the pressure changes affect the O2 levels. Not sure I buy that argument.

Thats just the stuff that comes immediately to mind when I hear the words "tube system"......

[zudy]

I have worked in hospitals with and without tubes, I love them. Unless you have plenty of staff(yeah, right) to run errands, I don't see the point of building a hospital without a tube system.

[Sleepyeyes]

Originally posted by Liann

Our main lab is about a block away from the hospital and the shuttle system runs under the street to get there, so sometimes the shuttles arrive wet on the OUTSIDE! :)

:uhoh21:

[louloubell1]

I work in a pretty large hospital and can't imagine doing without our tube system. It does, from time to time, experience breakdowns but usually we don't see any problems with it.

[deespoohbear]

Thanks for all the responses. I have decided when I return to work (I am fighting a nasty sinus infection along with bronchitis) I am going to really push for this tube system. We lost out about the bedside charting but maybe we can win this battle. Thanks again.

Lou, glad to see you posting still!! :kiss

[semstr]

love it! We even had a small elevator-system in one of the hospitals in Holland. you could put one of those small crates (you know, similar to the ones you can put in you car for your ´groceries) in it.

The normal tubes are great too though! But I have to say, we are not alowed to put blood in it anylonger, becuase quite a few tests were broken.

[Furball]

I remember a pt suffering a carotid blow out on the floor...thank God for the tube system...we got much needed blood RIGHT AWAY...instead of waiting for someone to run down 9 flights of stairs or wait for an elevator. Every second truly counts.

A hospital without a tube system is nuts!

(Pt made it BTW)