Share Policies That Have Not Saved One Life

[Emergent, RN]

(But may have contributed to a few deaths by sucking time and energy from us)

I'll name a few:

1) Care Plans

2) Charting pain scales before and after meds

3) Laminating paper bulletins 

[SilverBells, BSN]

“The patient is always right” All patient complaints, no matter how trivial, should be addressed right away and irregardless to whatever else might be going on 

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

No clocking in till 7 minutes before the start of a shift. Not 5 minutes, not 10 minutes, but 7. ?

[Emergent, RN]

7 minutes ago, VivaLasViejas said:

No clocking in till 7 minutes before the start of a shift. Not 5 minutes, not 10 minutes, but 7. ?

LOL, I think that's Universal. The last 4 places I've worked have had the same policy

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

Lowering the rail of the bed that has the patient control buttons because having all 4 rails up is a "restraint".

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

Whatever policy it is that says I can't have my water next to me while I document. That one's dumb.

[LovingLife123]

Care plans.  Education on an intubated pt.  

[Daisy4RN]

White boards that must be filled out by the RN with highly important data like the date and pt goal for the day.

Charting pt response to every PRN med.

All policies that have turned the hospital environment into a hotel environment.

The RN being responsible for other ancillary staff not doing their job.

[Davey Do]

Performing an entire assessment/admission on a suicidal patient who came through the ER, was just discharged 14 hours ago, currently denies any thoughts of self harm, and is requesting chips and a chocolate milk.

[JKL33]

All specific screening recommendations that are inappropriately made universal (screen every patient rather than the intended population).

Policies that link medication orders with specific pain ratings.

Blanket warmer policies that require settings so low the blankets are cooled by the time you walk from the warmer to the room.

Most policies that were put into place as the result of a freak event or profound stupidity/negligence.

[Davey Do]

1 hour ago, JKL33 said:

Most policies that were put into place as the result of a freak event or profound stupidity/negligence.

I know!

On a low-trafficked, relatively rural road intersection near my hometown, one person didn't yield as they should have, caused an accident, and a three way stop was put up.

Now everybody has to stop, in the middle of nowhere, for time eternal.

[Daisy4RN]

2 hours ago, Davey Do said:

Performing an entire assessment/admission on a suicidal patient who came through the ER, was just discharged 14 hours ago, currently denies any thoughts of self harm, and is requesting chips and a chocolate milk.

This, plus all the ridiculous data that was added over the years that could easily be collected by admission clerks.

 

1 hour ago, JKL33 said:

Most policies that were put into place as the result of a freak event or profound stupidity/negligence.

This too, I don't know how many hours wasted with yet another computer inservice/education bc of some idiotic mistake made by one person, ugh.