saline flush ..Joint Commission

[melgrek]

Hello...At your facility are you allowed to stock saline flushes in an unlocked storage container in a patients room? Does the Joint Commission view these as a med or a medical device? I went on the JC site but could not find any information. Food & Drug site ... saline was under medical device...so why can't they be stocked in a pts room? Thank you for any help that is offered

[CodeteamB]

And yes we supposed to bar code scan each flush: 1)scan flush,2) indicate do we need to scan more than one, 3)key in the amount we are flushing, 4)scan pt, 5) press save. Oops, forgot the 2 patient identifiers.

My Eyes literally bugged out reading this, my husband asked me what's wrong. The day they ask me to do this is the day I retire, and I am under 30 and by no means independently wealthy. What a colossal waste of time.

At my work we keep everything you need to start and flush an IV and to draw blood in a little basket at each bedside, no Pyxis but our med carts do lock. I can't imagine working like that, but I guess people get used to things... Had to look up what the joint commission was.

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

We're no longer allowed to have saline flushes on our WOWs, they haven't patted down our pockets though. So frustrating, I can reasonably predict that I am going to need at least 5-7 saline flushes during my shift, why can't I just bring them with me??

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

We keep ours in the med room in a large drawer. I grab a bunch of flushes and keep them in the bottom drawer of my COW and restock as needed.

It's still called COW in some places? Hmm. We call it WOW, this is because patients thought we were referring to patients when we said COW

[Rhi007]

At each nursing station there's a bunch of shelves and each area has a designated use so IV and blood draws etc this includes saline flushes so we have access and there's no need for hunting, no ours aren't locked up.....

[Jenni811, RN]

It's still called COW in some places? Hmm. We call it WOW, this is because patients thought we were referring to patients when we said COW

Hahahhahaha I leterally bust out laughing. Can you imagine? Patients over hearing nurses talk in the halls.... "That stupid Cow down the hall has got to go." Or.... "COME ON COW! you are way to slow for me. Get going. I got things to do."

[Catzilla]

In addition to COW and WOW, I've heard BMW. Big Mobile Workstation. :0)

[wannabecnl]

So, in hospitals that lock up the saline and/or make you scan it, does it require an order? Can you enter that order as a nurse? I can't even imagine the logistics of that. The only flushes we have to scan are heparin flushes for central lines, and those are kept in the Pyxis (heparin in any form is considered a medication).

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

In addition to COW and WOW, I've heard BMW. Big Mobile Workstation. :0)

I like it!

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

So, in hospitals that lock up the saline and/or make you scan it, does it require an order? Can you enter that order as a nurse? I can't even imagine the logistics of that. The only flushes we have to scan are heparin flushes for central lines, and those are kept in the Pyxis (heparin in any form is considered a medication).

We don't need an order, we just need to take it out under the patient's name. There's an override option to take it out as floor stock if you get to the omnicell and can't remember the patient's name.

[PediLove2147, BSN, RN]

They are "locked" up in the clean utility closet. The door is never closed so I suppose anyone could walk in and take one. We also have them in the med room. I carry a few in my pocket though. We also scan ours but don't need an order.

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

I work in the ER...we have them in every patient room in a cabinet, that also includes anything and everything you need to start an IV. The cabinets are not locked. It's really handy, especially with as many times a day as I'm starting IVs, flushing them, pushing meds, etc...can't imagine having to go to the med room every dang time I needed to flush an IV.