Too many screening questions?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I believe healthcare is attempting to solve too many problems by implementing multiple screening questions. Individually, these questions are well-meaning attempts to address real problems. But, The sum total of the increasing amount of screening questions decreases the efficacy of each one.

I understand the intentions of each one individually, but the sum total is overkill. It seems like each year adds a new one. Suicide prevention, fall prevention, tuberculosis screening, abuse and neglect screening, tobacco, drug abuse, sexual carelessness. The more things that are added, the less efficacious the process becomes.

I don't know what the solution is, but adding new screenings is not helping our patient population in my opinion.

Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
I certainly agree for the reasons listed in the previous posts. It's more of bureaucracy gone a bit mad.

And do I see a change in KatieMI's name? Did she receive her MSN? If so, warm congratulations.

Sorry for going off topic but yeah, new MSN/FNP is here. Boards, new job, and everything else are coming right up! :yes:

0 Votes
Specializes in school nurse.

I suspect that many of these screenings, like so many things in nursing, are implemented by those who don't actually DO nursing. (or at least anymore...)

0 Votes

One of the questions that we have to ask during admission is "what name would you like us to call you?" Pretty normal question actually, and we would then fill it out on their white board. I had one patient say, "oh, what every the heck you want. I like the sound of 3334 bed A." I laughed but explained that I could not get away with writing THAT as his name. Then we jumped into have you ever smoked, for how long, how much, do you use any other tobacco products, would you like help quiting? Do you drink alcohol? What type, how often, when was your last drink? How about recreational drugs? What type? How often? By the way do you feel safe at home? Do you know how to get help if you didn't?

See, aren't you glad we got to know each others names first? Now I'll help you with that UTI that brought you here for the interrogation from hell.

0 Votes
Specializes in ICU.
Sorry for going off topic but yeah, new MSN/FNP is here. Boards, new job, and everything else are coming right up! :yes:

Wooo! Go girl! :) :)

0 Votes
One of the questions that we have to ask during admission is "what name would you like us to call you?" Pretty normal question actually, and we would then fill it out on their white board. I had one patient say, "oh, what every the heck you want. I like the sound of 3334 bed A." I laughed but explained that I could not get away with writing THAT as his name. Then we jumped into have you ever smoked, for how long, how much, do you use any other tobacco products, would you like help quiting? Do you drink alcohol? What type, how often, when was your last drink? How about recreational drugs? What type? How often? By the way do you feel safe at home? Do you know how to get help if you didn't?

See, aren't you glad we got to know each others names first? Now I'll help you with that UTI that brought you here for the interrogation from hell.

Funny stuff! Sounds like a fun patient - - every once in a great while when I'm 100% sure it'll go over okay, I'd actually say your last 2 lines to a guy like that so we could both laugh.

0 Votes
Specializes in ER.

Seems like the general consensus here heavily supports the notion that the majority of screening is a waste of our time and the patient's time. Add me to the protest. The burning question is: What can we do about it? The discussions here are great at shining a spotlight on various forms of senseless clutter that get in the way of doing our job well. Could we possibly come up with a simple agenda, overwhelmingly supported by our profession, put some teeth in it, and clean up some of the expanding lunacy?

0 Votes

I'd be happy just to get night shift to do one simple screening form when the order for the MRI didn't get put in until 1910 while I was giving report, but no I still had to go do the screening and ended up stuck at work until 2015 instead of 1930. So much for that don't get incidental overtime anymore rule they are trying so hard to enforce.

0 Votes
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

My husband recently had a minor outpatient procedure with only local anesthesia. The recovery nurse must have spent 20 minutes doing required screening. This was in addition to all the pre-op stuff. The amount required was ridiculous and honestly it was intrusive even though he has no issues. I felt sorry for the nurses having to slog through that many times per day.

They have their place in moderation, but I think just uses all of them on everyone is not effective at all.

0 Votes
The amount required was ridiculous and honestly it was intrusive even though he has no issues. I felt sorry for the nurses having to slog through that many times per day.

Exactly. This is painful for the patient and the nurse.

Well-nourished, alert, smiling, smartly dressed, decked-out-with-makeup-and-recently-styled-hair little old lady comes to triage with attentive daughter; close rapport between them immediately recognized [see how many assessments I just did there in that 5 seconds??]

"So mam, is anyone hurting you? Are you safe at home?"

"Have you ever thought of harming or killing yourself?"

Just...No.

Sure, someone will come along with the whole "you never know...." line, but I don't have the time, and more importantly I don't share that worldview - that everything could be something evil - because in reality it's uncommon (that things such as the scenario I just used as an example, would actually turn out to be abusive). But the bigger deal is that things are so muddied up with this junk now that we DO run the risk of actually overlooking a problematic situation - - cause we aren't spending enough time with people. Heck, we aren't even looking at them half of the time we ARE spending with them.

0 Votes
Specializes in ER.

I actually do care and want to help anyone who will let us help them. But screening obviously unlikely candidates is useless because, 99.99% of the time, those who really want help tell us on the doorstep: "I'm here because my boyfriend beat me up." "I'm really depressed, and I've been thinking about ending it." If they don't tell us up front, they plan to lie anyway. Even when the symptoms and concocted story raise several red flags, and we question them from several angles, they stick to their story.

0 Votes
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

I work the floor, at night, and I'm soooooo sick and tired of the intrusive personal questions on the admission process!

It seems like these are things that could be either handled by the registration clerk (for a heck of a lot less money than I'm costing the hospital) when they're asking the basic demographic questions, or by a case manager the next day.

When it's 3am and the patient's been awake for 20+ hours and they are completely exhausted on top of not feeling well, they haven't eaten since lunch the previous day, and they just want a crappy piece of lunchmeat on two plain pieces of bread for their growling tummy and a pillow for some sleep, WHY am I asking them all these admission questions? Not just the screening questions, but the "who do you live with, what type of house/apartment/condo/trailer do you live in, do you live with someone physically able to assist you when you go home, do you have trouble preparing your own meals, blah blah blah"....

Why do NURSES have to ask a bunch of CLERICAL questions???

0 Votes
I actually do care and want to help anyone who will let us help them.

I agree wholeheartedly and it can not be over-emphasized. I'd put money on the idea that the grand majority of our colleagues feel the same. Thank you for highlighting the fact that "not caring" isn't what this discussion is about, for any who might be reading along.

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment