I got called by risk management last week, and asked to call one of the hospital lawyers about a chart. Seems someone has filed a complaint (or sueing, not sure which); so they are calling me. Ah, wasn't my patient, but my signature and handwriting are the only legible ones on the chart. Fortunately, I wrote a really good CYA note (person brought in by police, restrained by them, sedated by us for behavioral reasons) about our actions. I work in the ED, we are a team, if someone is busy, another nurse will step in and start a chart for them.
But, since they can't figure out who else charted anything, I'm the only one getting questioned. What happened to being proud enough of your actions to chart them, write proper notes, and being honorable enough to sign clearly? I had another nurse tell me years ago this happened to her, only her signature identifiable from a long inpatient chart, so only she got named in that suit (as a nurse, they were suing the hospital, doc, etc.). She's refused to sign legibly ever since.
Now, our hospital requires us to put our employee numbers with our signature, just so they can identify signatures! Why is my number the only one on there?!?
Am I really worried about the complaint? No, followed policies etc. Carry my own malpractice aside from the hospital's. Been called before and deposed about charts. What gets me is the lack of honor and pride in others regarding their own practice.
Specializes in Level 1, Level 2, Level 4 trauma and med.
BTW, your question about honor...you should say accountability!! Accountability is a trait that seperates good nurse's from great nurse's. Anyone can be trained to watch a monitor, start and IV. But when a mistake is made, it takes alot of character to pony up. If you haven't made a mistake, you haven't been a nurse very long. What you do when you make that mistake will define YOU!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i got called by risk management last week, and asked to call one of the hospital lawyers about a chart. seems someone has filed a complaint (or sueing, not sure which); so they are calling me. ah, wasn't my patient, but my signature and handwriting are the only legible ones on the chart. fortunately, i wrote a really good cya note (person brought in by police, restrained by them, sedated by us for behavioral reasons) about our actions. i work in the ed, we are a team, if someone is busy, another nurse will step in and start a chart for them.
but, since they can't figure out who else charted anything, i'm the only one getting questioned. what happened to being proud enough of your actions to chart them, write proper notes, and being honorable enough to sign clearly? i had another nurse tell me years ago this happened to her, only her signature identifiable from a long inpatient chart, so only she got named in that suit (as a nurse, they were suing the hospital, doc, etc.). she's refused to sign legibly ever since.
now, our hospital requires us to put our employee numbers with our signature, just so they can identify signatures! why is my number the only one on there?!?
am i really worried about the complaint? no, followed policies etc. carry my own malpractice aside from the hospital's. been called before and deposed about charts. what gets me is the lack of honor and pride in others regarding their own practice.
i have colleagues who refuse to sign legibly for just that reason. the thing is, they're also sloppy and just don't care about everything else -- except their pay checks and vacation time. when a patient wanted to sue and mine was the only legible signature on the chart (except, ironically enough, for the physicians who all signed with their provider number), my manager pulled the assignment sheets. (she keeps them for seven years.) it turned out that i was never assigned to the patient, but did a lot of charting pain meds, blood transfusions, etc. because the nurses who were assigned (over the course of a couple of weeks) are well known for spending the majority of their shift in the break room.
if you're working in an eight bed ward with three other nurses and they all disappear, you're going to end up doing at least some of the fetching of warm blankets and pain medication for the other six patients. and before you ask, it's tolerated because our former manager was friends with them.
when risk management wanted to talk to me, our manager told them that they could talk to the nurses who actually were responsible for taking care of the patient -- and here's a list of their names and employee numbers -- and if you still have questions after that, we'll get ruby involved. i never heard anything more about it.
but here is another observation: hospital policies don't seem to keep up with current practice. so what do you do when your orders and your policy conflict? if the physician truly believes that he/she is right and the policy is wrong, we need to try to change the policy rather than just ignore it. i'm having that problem where i work right now.
Specializes in Level 1, Level 2, Level 4 trauma and med.
if the physician truly believes that he/she is right and the policy is wrong, we need to try to change the policy rather than just ignore it. i'm having that problem where i work right n
do some research on joint commission standards on what policy your having problems with. if a medication order is contraindicated, you have the right, under jaco to refuse to give it. hospital medication errors is at the tops of jaco"s to fix list.
we are going to all electronic but some things remain on paper as yet
however we have to sign and print our names and written entries. so glad for electronic notes time/day sign/name /rn took time if pt has more than one care need care planned.
JoeMacERRN
31 Posts
BTW, your question about honor...you should say accountability!! Accountability is a trait that seperates good nurse's from great nurse's. Anyone can be trained to watch a monitor, start and IV. But when a mistake is made, it takes alot of character to pony up. If you haven't made a mistake, you haven't been a nurse very long. What you do when you make that mistake will define YOU!