I'm not sure if I'm posting this topic in the right place, but I wanted to get other nurses' opinions on this endeavor I'm undertaking.
I work in SICU at a VA Hospital, where we have one supply room and one limited supply cart located at the nurses' station. I'm wanting to request bedside supply carts to stock basic nursing supplies: IVs, gauze, tape, lab tubes, needles, syringes, etc. so that we don't have to run out of the room excessively to obtain needed supplies. In my experience in other hospitals, along with my colleagues' experiences, it appears as if this is already a standard practice in most ICUs. However, in order to request this type of change, I must submit a formal request to our EBP council, using evidence-based literature supporting my request. Unfortunately this specific topic has not really been researched and therefore my lit review turned up dry.
So my questions for you is:
In your experience, are bedside supply carts common in the ICU?
How would you approach this EBP request, given that there are almost no articles specifically addressing this topic?
For any responding, I would like an opinion. I was looking for information regarding regulations for nurses who are doing a medication pass in a long-term care unit. I couldn't find anything on any website about medication cart etiquette . I have been practicing for two years as a long term/ acute care/dementia/ float nurse and never in my life have I questioned this very specific med cart etiquette until I started at a new facility and it’s driving me NUTS. In regards to my medication cart I need to be able to give out my medication and park my cart the proper way. I need to find out WHERE to park my cart when giving medication . I was taught to park it in front of my patient's room and lock it before giving medication, then come back and move to the next resident next door and so on and so forth, but recently this etiquette has been challenged by the people orienting next to this specific facility. Which way is the proper way: parking it in front of the doorway LOCKED and facing the resident's room or leaving it to be parked out by the hallway, LOCKED, and facing the hallway? I never put the cart inside the patient room but I had it outside the room so I have a good view of the cart if anyone had to grab something from the top of my cart.
Sophia Ramos, LPN
1 Post
For any responding, I would like an opinion. I was looking for information regarding regulations for nurses who are doing a medication pass in a long-term care unit. I couldn't find anything on any website about medication cart etiquette . I have been practicing for two years as a long term/ acute care/dementia/ float nurse and never in my life have I questioned this very specific med cart etiquette until I started at a new facility and it’s driving me NUTS. In regards to my medication cart I need to be able to give out my medication and park my cart the proper way. I need to find out WHERE to park my cart when giving medication . I was taught to park it in front of my patient's room and lock it before giving medication, then come back and move to the next resident next door and so on and so forth, but recently this etiquette has been challenged by the people orienting next to this specific facility. Which way is the proper way: parking it in front of the doorway LOCKED and facing the resident's room or leaving it to be parked out by the hallway, LOCKED, and facing the hallway? I never put the cart inside the patient room but I had it outside the room so I have a good view of the cart if anyone had to grab something from the top of my cart.