Chimers

That's why I asked your opinion, much appreciated. My opinion is that a bum has a better moral compass than this nurse. The bum is just out there begging for change, not stealing it. I

Here's a question for you caliotter3. Electronic Documentation Theft. Another nurse copied and pasted my clinical notes to her own notes on the same patients we were seeing. I reported it to my nurse manager. I consulted my board of nursing. The nurse got a write up as far as I know, which hardly seems adequate punishment for her deed. My question to you is: Do I have any legal grounds to sue this nurse for theft of my documents and if so what type of attorney would handle this sort of thing? I am not going to state my intentions for this employer in this forum. You never know who is reading these posts. I will say that I am not done with this yet. I have what it takes to see this through, and of course I have truth on my side. I am hoping Lamazeteacher will pick up on this post as well. You two present as well versed in the Home Care arena. Thanks!

I would never leave my patient on a vent and not be readily available if the alarm went off. Good grief! There are too many things that can happen, in the flash of a few seconds! What if something physically happened to you while you left the area? Slip in water, break a leg, break your neck? Who would tend to the patient? A disconnect? A mucus plug that needs lavaged? Even if a family member was available would they know what to do? Leaving the patient to tend to laundry and/or housekeeping out of the patient care area has disaster written all over it. I would gently insist that I am there for the patient and anything that may need to be tended to must be done in the immediate patient care area. SOoooo.. if family insists on laundry I would tell them that I would be happy to fold and put away any of the PATIENT's laundry, but a family member needs to bring it to the patient area. Ditto for patient care supplies. Too many families can get out of control in their requests on what the nurse should do as far as housekeeping tasks. It also sets a standard of expectation that ALL nurses HAVE to do the same when they visit for patient care, and ergo the domino affect is in motion. Speak to your DON and express your concerns! Safety first! During my time as a DON I have encountered this very same scenario and went to the home and explained to the family the very same thing that I stated above. They understood my concerns about safety and that was that.

Wow comrades! I had no idea that the book had become out of print and was $999.00, are you kidding me???? I paid $147 whay back when and it really did save my sanity. I would opt for the newest available which is the Client Teaching Guides by Linda Gorman. The disk will enable you to print directly from your computer and not have to fool around with a xerox like I had to. Humble apologies, I only meant to give you a lead, not send you into sticker shock! :redpinkhe

"Client Teaching Guides for Home Health" by Donna Meyers is an excellent book. It's available at Amazon. It's pricey, but I have used the guides a lot in home care, saved my sanity, saved time, and provided effective education utilizing the guides. I copied her guides, gave one to the patient, and provided one to the chart with dates to document my teaching. The author states that these guides may be used in this way. I found with smaller agencies, they did not have the means to provide much in the way of teaching materials. I Bought my copy about 5 years ago, and have used it with several agencies. A copy of the teaching materials to the chart at an all paper agency really pleases auditors.

I absolutely bookmarked the GBA site. Thank you very much for this great piece of info!

I am just in the early stages of learning McKesson Horizon and it is A LOT more user friendly and easier to navigate than ENCORE. ENCORE turned out to be a charting nightmare for me. Chimers RN

Wow I am really sorry about your bad experiences with the Reps. In this area of NE Ohio we have a fabulous Rep/Clinical consultant. The rep will meet you at any home and help with any questions that occur during a home visit. I would contact the provider home office and make a complaint. Most reps make clinical wages and they should act like the professionals they are being paid to be! I would be specific on the nature of complaints. This may actually help the company as a whole to provide better customer relations through staff education.