So the boss says "When a call light goes off, consider that an error"

[mindlor]

So the hospital where I work is infatuated with customer service and improving survey scores.

However, they still love to give us 6 and 7 pts each on a busy really BUSY med/surg/tele floor. With only one tech for the whole floor btw (20 pts).

So in a meeting yesterday we are told that we should be able to anticipate our patients needs and be be proactive, we should never have to react.

We were told that whenever a patient hits the light, that is an error and that we will be expected to do better.

We were also told that we would now have to do mandatory hourly rounding on every patient and start using scripted phrases and greetings.

We are also secretaries as our docs still write orders in paper charts and we must then remove them and fax them to order entry and then to pharmacy....

Ah yes pharmacy....we never have the meds we need and spend on avg 2 of 12 hours tracking down meds and on the phone with the pharmacy. ...

Is this unusual or are you guys in similar boat?

[SuzieVN]

I've always worked LTC, and always told the CNAs to make rounds, ask people if they needed anything, and tell the exactly when they'd be back, to reduce call lights- and it works amazingly well. If the patients know you are reliable, they won't go koo-koo pulling lights. I've always told patients to pull the light as soon as they are done in the bathroom, for example, and I'd wait outside the door so I could answer it right away, to prevent falls.

[mindlor]

ty for the reply. the logic indeed makes sense. however, i dare say that the dynamic at the ltc is a little different than that of a busy med/surg unit at a big city teaching hospital......apples to oranges perhaps.....

for example....there is no time to stand around while waiting for someoone to poo poo :)

i do understand that ltc has its own challenges however so please do not think I am being intentionally insensitive....

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

No matter how much we anticipate patients' needs, we do not have crystal balls to read their minds. Therefore, call lights will always be needed, and it should NOT be considered an error if a patient calls.

Your boss needs a reality check very soon.

[SuzieVN]

ty for the reply. the logic indeed makes sense. however, i dare say that the dynamic at the ltc is a little different than that of a busy med/surg unit at a big city teaching hospital......apples to oranges perhaps.....

for example....there is no time to stand around while waiting for someoone to poo poo :)

i do understand that ltc has its own challenges however so please do not think I am being intentionally insensitive....

Absolutely, but in LTC the system works to save a lot of running around from patients that are just often bored and lonely, in acute no way. And anyway- why do they have call lights if they are not to be used?

[mindlor]

yeah, i invited her to come work a few shifts with me. she declined.

[mindlor]

hey why was that insulin shot for that BG of 172 late....

uh I was giving d50 to the one with a BG of 27 and then doing cpr on that one with the flat line....

uh ok...make sure you get those lights quickly......

kk boss will do......as soon as I catch the naked one that is running down the hall that pulled out his picc and is bleeding out....

[mindlor]

no doubt m'lady that call light prevention makes sense annd is smart nursing :)

[SwansonRN]

This sounds like a very manager thing to say. Or like a person who hasn't actually been at the bedside in a while thing to say.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

Sounds like your boss has recently been to one of those meetings where customer service was the topic of the day. We have been doing hourly rounds for several years now, and we all have been taught the customer service lingo we must say to every patient. Sorry to say, there isn't much you can do about it. Since payment is tied to customer satisfaction, that is the bottom line, and all that will really matter. I personally agree with the hourly rounds; they do cut down on call lights.

[mvm2]

Wow if I was a patient on your floor I'd hate to think that if I pushed that call button that it was a mark against you as my nurse. i would never dream that I would make you look bad just because I might have needed something. and just because I needed to use my call light does not mean I would not give my nurse and hospital good scores for attending my needs. Big Hugs sweetie. I sometimes shake my head at what they expect from you poor nurses sometimes.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Customer service or patient care.... which is more important? This is why I could never be in management. I prefer to provide safe, effective patient care regardless of the customer satisfaction. Some managers seem more concerned that Bitsy down the hall wants a warm blanket and no one has answered her call bell in 5 minutes. Never mind that all hands are involved in an ugly code. And some people will never be happy no matter how much you do for them.