TV in the ED

Nysloss · Nov 20, 2004

We have televisions in the pt's rooms (ED/Trauma Center). It reduces anxiety and complaints about how much time we're taking. I think it's awesome, personally.

erjulie · Nov 20, 2004

yeah, I agree that radio is better, especially when sick or post-op. However, many of our ED patients aren't really sick, or emergencies...

stormy_61 · Dec 7, 2004

It would keep the kids occupied while the doctor got a chance to see them . Cause sometime it can be awhile. I should know I just spent 6 hours in one with pnumonia and something to do would have been nice instead of just laying there waiting on test results.

rjbaileyrn · Dec 7, 2004

Not in favor of TV's in the ER. If you're well enough to watch tv, you should have made a doctor's appointment instead..

We are re-designing our ED. It has been suggested to put TV's in the patient rooms. I am against the idea as our ED is disrupted enough and feel that TV's will encourage more visitors at bedside (always a problem) and loudness issues.
Does anybody else out there have TV's in the ED exam rooms? How do you manage any problems with noise, crowds, etc?
Thanks.
Andrew B

Deaconess · Dec 8, 2004

We got TV's in each exam room about a year ago. Many, including myself were skeptical about them. We were afraid of an increase in bogus sign-ins by homeless, lonely, etc. But we found a decrease in complaints about wait times, patients seem to be glad to have a way to pass the time, and thank God for Cartoon Network for the kids.

When I was a patient about a week and a half ago, I was very glad to have a TV to watch while I waited for my husband to make the 90 minute drive to join me. ( I happened to be working at the time.)

Overall, I think that the TV's were a good improvement.

Deaconess · Dec 8, 2004

Not in favor of TV's in the ER. If you're well enough to watch tv, you should have made a doctor's appointment instead..

I signed in during my shift a couple of weeks ago because I was 14 weeks pregnant and started heavy lady partslly bleeding. Should I have gone home and made a doctor's appointment? No, I watched TV while I received 2L RL, waited for an ultrasound, and wondered if I was going to lose the pregnancy I had waited over three years for. I was glad to have some distraction because I needed it!

You know as well as I do that not every problem appropriate for ER care is a matter of life or death. Compound fractures, INR of 11, and right lower quadrant abdominal pain can't wait for a doctor's appointment.

Besides, the TV's are to help distract the family members. Ever had two family members just stand and stare at you while you lay on a stretcher? Please, sit down and watch some TV!

akcarmean, LPN · Dec 8, 2004

I have to say that I think TV would be an asset. They can always be turned off when Dr. comes in or you are doing a procedure. I feel that they can distract pts minds and keep them off of the pain or nervousness of being their especially children. It can provide and excellent source of education when some finds out they are diabetic or have kidney stones etc. Teaching of some sort has to be done and if you can put in a video then just answer the pts. ?? then it could be time saving. I don't know for sureb/c have never worked in ER but as a mother being on the other side it would have helped greatly.

Angie

shell911rn · Dec 8, 2004

I have worked in ER's now for a couple of years and the biggest complaint from patients as everybody has posted is about wait times. We don't have TV's in our ER. We often hold patients in our ER who are admitted for hours on end and I find that they seem to focus more on every little symptom they have or their basic needs such as food and water seem to become emergent matters to them rather than the nonurgent matter I view it as, considering I have a new unstable patient who is here with a low BP and no IV access. I often attribute this to the fact that they have nothing to do but sit and focus on their body functions. I was trying to explain to a patient's family member the other night while I'm trying to catch up on charting why it was the nurse hadn't yet got his wife a glass of water that she asked for a half an hour ago. Knowing the patient came in vomiting, I decided it best to wait for the nurse to make the decision for her patient if she could have water or not and tried to explain to the family member that the nurse had other responsibilities and that that glass of water must not have been a priority at that time. He couldn't see why water wasn't a priority right that moment. :uhoh3: Or how 'bout the patient who keeps calling for his "nurse" and complains about how cold the room is despite being given warm blankets and who's dissatisfied with the fact he's still in the ER, all the while I'm trying to run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to control the pain on one patient and hang a K-Rider and place a bed pan on another? I think TV's would do wonders in an ER for nurses. It would keep patients' pre-occupied with something besides their body functions so we can get done what's critical. Plus, I am sick and tired of hearing about wait times. Trust me, if a bed was available, you'd be up in it!:chuckle

z's playa · Dec 8, 2004

We have TVs in our ER and boy was I introduced to it on Monday. I ran right into it. It's situated right around a corner at my ear level (I'm 5 10) and I hit it so hard my ear was bleeding. Seems I'm not the first person to hit my head on it. Who do I see about moving it do you think?

BTW...I went in for migraine....I almost fainted when I hit it. :eek:

Victoriakem · Dec 8, 2004

To paraphrase Bart Simpson,

How else can a bunch of people who hate each others guts, stay together in the same room, the greatest invention ever, TV!!

TV makes time go more easily while waiting for endless test, CT, sono results, or just waiting for the internist to make their appearance. Plus, those football fanatics can keep up with the game at work & their bets too. ha.

foofoo · Dec 16, 2004

OK, I just had to respond to this one.....yeah, you're there for a reason.....and usually you are there, shut up in that little room, for HOURS! My sister is an advanced huntington's patient who has little balance left but who will still get up and try to walk by herself everytime your back is turned for 2 secs. which means lots of falls and lots of trips to ER. The town we live near has only one hosp. which does not have tv's in tx rooms of ER. My sister's congitive abilities are worse every day and add that to the jerking and shaking of Huntington's she can't read or do much of anything else to occupy herself except watch tv.....1 hour of sitting in that room with her seems like 4....I've actually thought about buying a portable tv to take with us, but figured the reception would be non existant....plus we only have 2 local stations w/o cable......so, yeah, I guess for the busy nurse it shouldn't be an issue, but for the trapped, bored, and in pain pt. it is a very large issue. As far as I am concerned that is not bs.

I have been out of our ER now for 19 months. However, at the time I left, they were considering TV's in the ER for all the pt's d/t the "Inconvenient waiting times".
I think it's BS. If your in the ER, your there for a reason.............and TV should definately NOT be a issue.
out.............

rncen615 · Dec 20, 2004

We have TVs in every room in our new 28 bed ED. We did not have them in our old ED. They work well to help people pass the time while waitinf for examination, results, etc. Most patients are very happy to see a TV, They are especially good for children who get easily bored sitting in a room waiting.