What should I do?

[Paradigm_shift]

You are nursing a 75 years old lady, paralysed with bed sores. The ward seems chaotic with shortage of staffing.

Suddenly, a doctor asked you why the dressing for bedsores is not done for your patient. I planned to do the dressing after I completed the observation, that was what I told the doctor.

While you are preparing the dressing trolley in the treatment room, the nurse manager instructed you to fetch a patient in the X- ray department immediately due to hypoglycaemia. However, the patient is not under your care.

[Closed Account 12345]

An acutely hypoglycemic patient, whether yours or not, is a higher priority than a dressing change. For that reason, I'd communicate to the manager "OK, I'll go get that patient. Will you let her nurse know I'll have her back in a few minutes so she can be ready to help when we're back in the unit? Dr. Smith wanted me to get Other Patient's dressing change done right away, so if you see him, please let him know it'll be a little longer." That way, if the doctor makes a fuss, your manager is already aware of the delay and on your side.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

49 minutes ago, FacultyRN said:

An acutely hypoglycemic patient, whether yours or not, is a higher priority than a dressing change. For that reason, I'd communicate to the manager "OK, I'll go get that patient. Will you let her nurse know I'll have her back in a few minutes so she can be ready to help when we're back in the unit? Dr. Smith wanted me to get Other Patient's dressing change done right away, so if you see him, please let him know it'll be a little longer." That way, if the doctor makes a fuss, your manager is already aware of the delay and on your side.

Better yet, ask the manager to kick in and change the dressing (or get the patient in x-ray). The manager should know that folks are running around; piling on doesn't help...

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

You must be a student, and this is a theoretical question.

For future reference, assess the hierarchy of needs. This is a question regarding prioritization. Dressings can wait, hypoglycemia cannot.

In the real world you would address the hypoglycemia and get that patient's nurse to do your dressing, afterwards ?

Best wishes.. it's a jungle out there.