This was a new one on me and I thought I would throw it out there to the nurses and get your opinion. I was a patient today in an outpatient clinic. I was getting my vitals taken, and as the nurse was putting the blood pressure cuff on me, she pulled out her smart phone and said "wow, three text messages!" I said, "Oh, do you have a child emergency?" She said, "No, a friend with a job crisis," and then as the blood pressure machine was taking my blood pressure, she started reading through/responding to her texts. Then, when the machine was done with the reading, she realized she didn't have a pen to write down the vitals, so she took a picture of the machine readout with her phone (which I thought was...creative).
Now, as an employee of the facility at which she works, I know that it's against policy to carry around a personal phone and be seen texting while on company time. I personally would never dream of texting while walking around in the halls, but to whip out a phone and start texting while taking someone's vitals? That's just a whole 'nother level. I was completely at a loss for words. Am I the only one who finds that completely appallingly unprofessional, or is that just how it is nowadays? I brought this up at another message board (not nursing related) and another person said that as long as she knew what she was doing and practiced safely, it was all good. I'm of the opinion that I expect my care provider to practice safely AND be professional.
she should've gotten fired. point blank or report it. that's not allowed... phones shouldn't even be allowed on the unit in their pockets/ get a locker or something. ...i dont care how professional she is
Holy crap! As a patient, especially of I were cash pay, I would be mad as hell that I was spending $125 or so on a 10 minute office visit where the nurse couldn't pry herself long enough from her friend's drama to ask someone for a pen. I think I'd be even more ticked to know a photo of ANY part of our visit and my private medical information was contained on her personal cell phone. NOT COOL!
To those of you saying we all need to get with the times, do you remember what it felt like to get undivided attention at times when it should be appropriate? I have a doctor who constantly answers calls and pages during visits. Not only is this blatantly disrespecting the time and money I have invested in receiving her guidance, but it also distracts her from thorough care that I deserve! I try my best not to get her when I call for appointments now.
You're saying that the nurses need to get over it, but should the patients? This is not okay!
OP, I'd definitely say something but I'm honestly torn over whether I'd say something to the nurse or the supervisor. This should be brought up, though.
Ixchel I see your point. But I don't think we are talking about a nurse constantly attached to her/his phone. And I agree; I do not like it when doctors are distracted which they are almost always whenever I go. I guess one could ask for the visit to be only interrupted if emergency?
I would never text in front of a patient or while performing patient care.
However, I do text sometimes during my shift, when I'm at the nurse's station or on break. Actually, I have the cell phone numbers of a few of our doctors, and they prefer to be kept up to date on their patients through texting. So if I need to get them a message about the patient, I'm more likely to reach them quickly through text then the phone.
If this nurse grabbed her phone out during a random vitals check with what she perceived to be a random patient, I'm going to go out on a limb and say this probably is normal for her. She couldn't wait 3 minutes until she was out of the room? She had to text back, knowing it was not an emergency by any means? I'm going with my gut on this one-- she does this regularly. If it were a legit emergency, I'd be more inclined to feel differently, but even then, she had her phone on her and didn't hesitate to pull it out in the room. Not okay!
Emergency or not, it doesn't happen when you are doing parient cares.
Get up and excuse yourself if it is so needed. (which I seriously doubt)
I think the instant connection gives everyone some sense of inflated importance of themselves and everything. It is so indictative of the whole mindset technoloy has brougt us. Our lives are so important that we need to broadcasr the most innane things, have a gazillion friends on face book, etc..
If a medical provider did this to me, I would voice a complaint.
This is my one of biggest pet peeves. However, I see texting all the time at work among co-workers. Nothing we can really do... venting on AN relieves a little bit of stress though.
I have my cell phone on me at all times, but I never text or take calls in front of patients. Since my phone contains many useful apps I'll take it out on occasion to check some medicine that's new to me or cross check possible interactions between meds or look up quick disease facts. In the ER I use mine nearly all the time to double check pediatric dosages but I take time to explain to a family that I'm using my telephone for calculation purposes or checking dosages and I've never received any negativity towards it. if at all they seem glad we are double - triple checking dosages.
As far as taking a picture of just the read out of the BP measurements I fail to see why it is a problem. I don't practice in a HIP-PA/AA bothered country so not sure how strict the rules are over there. But to me I see no problem with taking a picture of the BP measurements as long as there is no information on it that makes it possible to identify the patient (so as long as the nurse made sure only the BP screen was in the pic). I don't see how this is different to writing it down on a note to copy into a chart later and you bringing the note out of the work place with you. If all it says in either the pic or note is 127/82 62 reg nobody would be able to say "hey that's Joe from around the corner I recognize those BP numbers". I copied a zillion monitor read outs that I removed patient info from to use as teaching examples.
If HIP-PA/AA ever comes to visit Belgium it ain't gonna steal my book of preciousness!
My guess is that the ones here that say they think is fine to use your phone on the floor would be the first to be complaining if the nurse was in a family members room using their phone while working with the family member. Or sitting at the desk texting instead of getting meds, etc. Yup, seen it at work and this is why our hospital laid out the policy. I have a smartphone, I text, use facebook, etc, but I can also control myself while doing patient care. I loved the comment, this isn't the 90's...what does that have to do with anything and obviously that was newer nurse lol Yes, the newer generation of nurses are tech savvy, but so are some of us older gals, but the phone should be in a pocket when on the floor. Like I tell me teen...no phones at the table, no phones when we are talking to you, and if your phone gets taken away at school, it will sit in the office until the end of the year.
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Aongroup1990, CNA
332 Posts
she should've gotten fired. point blank or report it. that's not allowed... phones shouldn't even be allowed on the unit in their pockets/ get a locker or something. ...i dont care how professional she is