Share Policies That Have Not Saved One Life

[Emergent]

(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 

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Implementing so much documentation that nurses can't possibly complete it all and so it's either not done, or done and meaningless.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

50 minutes ago, Nurse Beth said:

Implementing so much documentation that nurses can't possibly complete it all and so it's either not done, or done and meaningless.

I was just wondering this morning what the point even is in filling out all these care plans every 12 hours. Such a waste of my time, and honestly, my patients' time too.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

Filling out the refrigerator temperature every shift even though the refrigerator is connected to the unit that goes to a central monitoring station. Then reading the reminder email that the temperature recording was missed twice last month. 

The 15 minutes spent at shift change going over the "Lean board" topics over which I have zero influence or interest.

The policy that somehow links my effectiveness as a nurse to the time it takes for my patient to be transferred off the unit once a bed is assigned. 

[Daisy4RN]

Computer charting that takes about 3x as long to complete as paper used to be. Add to that the policy that nurses must chart in the hallway in order to be accessible to any and all yahoos that need/want ANYTHING!

Daily egress sheets.

Endless bed meetings all day instead of just 1 how it used to be. No, Mr PITA pt still has not been discharged, again, I will let you know!

[amoLucia]

Charting pt status before & after EVERY minineb tx (that we have to time anyway).

[Emergent, RN]

Asking an ER pt with UTI symptoms "Do you want hurt yourself or others?".

[Davey Do]

1 hour ago, Daisy4RN said:

Computer charting that takes about 3x as long to complete as paper used to be. 

 

[Davey Do]

1 hour ago, Emergent said:

Asking an ER pt with UTI symptoms "Do you want hurt yourself or others?".

"Why, yes I do actually.

I sent an open invitation to any pathogenic organisms willing to invade my urinary system to do so in order for me to get pyelonephritis!"

[Daisy4RN]

Asking every pt who walks through the door if they want a flu shot.

Nurse: do you want a flu vaccine?

Pt: If it is free

Nurse: there will be no charge. When was your last flu vaccine?

Pt: 2 weeks ago

Nurse: oh, well then you don't need another one, you are good to go.

Pt: WELL I WANT ANOTHER ONE, WHY CANT I HAVE ANOTHER ONE, MY FRIEND GOT 2 AND I WANT 2.....

and the fun just goes on and on....

When the hospital started this nonsense the pharmacy techs gave the vaccine and did all paperwork but of course that soon became another responsibility of the nurse, go figure.

[Davey Do]

2 hours ago, Daisy4RN said:

Asking every pt who walks through the door if they want a flu shot.

Your post was so funny, Daisy, that I had to make it into a cartoon!

 

[MunoRN, RN]

1 hour ago, Daisy4RN said:

Asking every pt who walks through the door if they want a flu shot.

Nurse: do you want a flu vaccine?

Pt: If it is free

Nurse: there will be no charge. When was your last flu vaccine?

Pt: 2 weeks ago

Nurse: oh, well then you don't need another one, you are good to go.

Pt: WELL I WANT ANOTHER ONE, WHY CANT I HAVE ANOTHER ONE, MY FRIEND GOT 2 AND I WANT 2.....

and the fun just goes on and on....

When the hospital started this nonsense the pharmacy techs gave the vaccine and did all paperwork but of course that soon became another responsibility of the nurse, go figure.

I would agree there are plenty of policies and required screening questions that offer no benefit, but this is one of the few that is clearly beneficial.

Screening for influenza vaccination during a hospitalization, and offering vaccinations to those who want one, increases the number of vaccinated by a few hundred thousand a year (KFF estimates over a million), which then results in a very real reduction in influenza hospitalizations and deaths.

I've never had a problem with someone wanting to get vaccinated more than once, but we wouldn't have a problem vaccinating someone again if they really want to.

[Daisy4RN]

12 minutes ago, MunoRN said:

I would agree there are plenty of policies and required screening questions that offer no benefit, but this is one of the few that is clearly beneficial.

Screening for influenza vaccination during a hospitalization, and offering vaccinations to those who want one, increases the number of vaccinated by a few hundred thousand a year (KFF estimates over a million), which then results in a very real reduction in influenza hospitalizations and deaths.

I've never had a problem with someone wanting to get vaccinated more than once, but we wouldn't have a problem vaccinating someone again if they really want to.

I obviously know that vaccines save lives and also, because I can read, what the title of the thread is. But thank you Capt Obvious for, well, pointing out the obvious.  What my post was intending, which also IMO, should have been obvious, was to poke a little fun and point out that RNs, who are already running around like chickens with their heads chopped off don't need to give vaccines.

And, I would most definitely have a problem giving a vaccine to a pt who already had one, Just sayin.