RNs caught lying

That is disturbing, Hmmm....

Anyway, I hope you are well now.

All I can say is, "oh my." :uhoh21::uhoh21::uhoh21:

Was it a check list you were looking at? It is very easy to go down a check list and check things off you didn't do. Those things encourage lying and mistakes.

Why are they lying about this stuff? Is there some reason / incentive to get a certain number of procedures / treatments in per client? Nurses are billed along with the room, so I can't see the point is all. Other than the overly simple, "Gee, I sure filled up the page full of work, didn't I?!"---I sure hope it isn't that....

"one said they did catheter care (I didn't even have a Foley!). "

That is CRAZY!!!

Was it a check list you were looking at? It is very easy to go down a check list and check things off you didn't do. Those things encourage lying and mistakes.

that is what I was wondering also.... You see it time and again, a check list makes it so automatic when you chart. We get amputees that have great pulses bilaterally! and if the nurse before you checked a box...it makes it easier to mindlessly check the same box in your assessment column.

When I had my Appy at our hospital, only one nurse looked at my surgical site. But I bet they all charted that they did. (Not that I wanted them looking once I was out of anestesia!)

What I'd do, if seeing the chart wasn't done by hospital policy, then request it from medical records officially. Then go through it and tell them what was and was not done. There may be things in there that weren't done and you and your insurance company will be billed for.

As a student, I saw certain nurses embellish their charts. Also, it was amazing how ALL of my patients always had respiratory rates of 18 when the CNAs took the vital signs. I think there is a lot of poor work ethic out there.

We have checklist charting, and when reviewing my charting at the end of the day, I often catch myself having "mischecked" things, stating, for example, that I provided post-operative teaching, when I meant to document that I taught regarding their medications, but they're next to each other on the checklist.

I'll also document things that may not be deemed "formal" education, but if I'm giving a patient their medications and saying, "This is your coreg, it's for your heart" I count that as education.

I also may not "formally" check for bedsores, but if I'm looking at a patient's butt while toileting them, I'll document that I assessed for bedsores.

However, I think this thread raises some really interesting questions that deserve further study. Does the use of checklists lead people to an increase in "over-documentation?" Something like that would make a great research project for someone.

that is a good point. I see over and over, nurses checking the lung sounds every 2 hours, when we usually assess lung sounds at the start of the shift on everyone, and then with every breathing TX for anyone that has a resp problem. And PRN for anyone else. So the CHF pt gets Lung sounds more often. someone in for something unrelated, with no resp HX gets the once a shift lung sound assessment. Yet, some nurses check the box for Lung sounds every 2 hrs. Or even write clear every 2 hrs. Same with Bowel sounds, and pulses. you would only be checking pulses q2h if they had a DVT, or some other circ problem. But if anyone looks at the chart, it looks like some nurses wake the pt up every 2 hrs to feel their feet!

Bluntly, I don't believe this story. I've never seen a nurse just happily hand over the chart to the patient without some sort of written authorization.

"Sure! Here ya go! And be sure to note any errors for your lawsuit."