What should I do, patients safety at risk???

[ednrs4life]

I recently started working in an ED at a small community hospital. The ED has 12 beds and an overflow area. I was told that the call bell system is broken and has been for a week!! Management has been told, maintenance has been told, work orders have been sent by several of our ED staff, still nothing. There has been a close call with a patient with a-fib being held in the ED until "there was enough staff in Med-Surg to care for the patient. The patient came to the nurses station and stated "why the "bleep" do you have call buttons if you are not going to answer them, I have been pushing the button for 20 minutes because my chest is hurting and nobody came". I need advice..should I report this to JACHO?

[Buyer beware, BSN]

OP:

Talk to risk management and with a pleasant affect tell h/s that a very nice women with CP came up the the desk and while experiencing chest discomfort for 20 minutes, was unable to get even a church mouse to come to her aid.

After you do this hopefully the risk manager or designated risk manager will have enough sense to jump on the problem after inferring that the woman with CP probably informed her family of the situation.

If the problem is not fixed and the woman keels over rest assured the hospital can expect bombastic bushkin to initiate a devastating lawsuit quicker than you can say jiminy cricket.

And most likely the aggrieved family will spend the rest of their lives lighting cuban cigars with Benjamins while sipping single malt scotch and lamenting all the things that could have been if dear old mother would have survived.