What nursing "invention" would make you famous?

[juscallmegrace]

With all the news going around about MRSA infections, I got to thinking......if only I could concoct a "curative" lavender scented Vancomycin room spray....

Therefore I ask, what would your most useful nursing device, invention, or concoction be? Hmmmm......Valium "flavored" pixy dust.....attitude adjustment darts (they come in cardiologist strength, surgeon strength, I am the doctor strength and a slew of other effective varieties.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

A plastic clip to hook the tv controller/call light to the bed rail so patients will stop accidentaly dropping them on the floor.

Could be manufactured for 6 cents and could charge 10-15$ a unit.

that would be amazing. When I was in the er a few weeks back mine fell about every 20 mins or so. I was getting annoyed.

[MIA-RN]

an automatic bedpan dispenser that cleans up the patient and flushes itself when done.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

A plastic clip to hook the tv controller/call light to the bed rail so patients will stop accidentaly dropping them on the floor.

Could be manufactured for 6 cents and could charge 10-15$ a unit.

"Back in the day" our call lights had little metal chains attached with a clip on the end. Wrap the little chain around the rail and clip it to itself! I'm not sure why they don't use those any more.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

Or a computer charting system that's cell-phone based. You would just speak into it, saying things like "temp 98.6 degrees, 300 cc's urinary output, etc.." and it would transcribe into the computer charting system. You would just sit down at the end of your shift to review it.

I don't think that is so far-fetched.

I use a voice recognition dictation program; it's on my work PC. It comes with a lot of medical terminology pre-loaded in.

It works fairly well, though you have to "train" it to recognize what you're saying, and mine occasionally struggles with my Southern accent. It makes mistakes that can be pretty funny.

Considering that I got my son a Zune for Christmas that has more memory than my computer does, I don't see why the technology wouldn't work for what you're describing.

I think you'll see it, someday!

[Warpster]

Velcro pajamas for confused, wandering patients to be used with Velcro sheets and chairs, of course. They could move around in bed, but it would make a noise and alert us and require some effort on their part, good exercise for them.

Antigravity discs to be used on the fatties who are getting fatter every year despite administration's insistence than any 120 pound nurse can easily lift a 450 pound patient on and off a bedside commode with a gait belt and proper body mechanics. The discs would be applied to reduce the patient's mass to equal that of the caregiver's.

A "zapper" that would give the unit coordinator 5 minutes of feeling the way my body feels when s/he demands I return the following day for an extra 12 hour shift. My guess is that the demand would be withdrawn in favor of a demand for an antidote.

Alarms at the doors to diabetic patients' rooms that would sound whenever a well meaning family member entered bearing anything with sugar in it. We had a patient who'd zip up to 450 every evening, finally traced it to the pack of Juicy Fruit a cousin was bringing her.

[Music in My Heart]

A hand-sanitizing system that works in about 3 seconds and requires no water, harsh chemicals, or UV exposure to the skin.

I'm not even a nurse yet but my recent 3-day stay with DD in the PICU about destroyed the skin on my hands. Maintaining skin integrity's going to be as big an issue for me as it will be for my patients.

[lamazeteacher]

Sedatives for patient family members

In 1958, in my 2nd year of nurses' training, a newly delivered mother suffered an amniotic embolism and died........all the nursing students in residence were called to the hospital lobby where family members were screaming, tearing at their and others' clothes, and flinging themselves against walls and each other.

We were given vials of phenobarb and sterilized glass syringes and reusable needles with nothing to put the used ones into (state of the art then). The Obstetrician who informed the family was there, and told us to grab anyone's arm, and inject it with 1/2cc of the phenobarb. We did it, but I've had nightmares ever since, wondering if the same arm was grabbed twice, etc.

So I don't think it's ever legal or wise to sedate anyone without their own doctor's written order, and each of the family member's informed, signed consent. Usually it's a good idea for grieving folks to vent, but the scenario I described above was scary! Probably had a crisis team from the psychiatric ward been called, it would have been wiser. Hind sight over time is 20/20.............:w00t:

[Moaca]

"necessity is the mother of invention"

creative ideas !

anyways; mine would be a mattress pre-covered with layers of sheets..

so, you just remove the messy one and a new one will be just in place

[heartlover07, RN]

I would love to invent "invisible dust" so I can walk PAST bed ONE when I have to take care of bed TWO without having to move bed ONE's trash can, find her pocket book, fluff her pillow, turn on her light, turn out here light...etc.!! Also would help in catching the patients who SWEAR they aren't smoking in the bathroom! :angryfire:angryfire

[abbaking]

electrical outlets on the patient bed. This way all the wires from the IV pump, thrombogaurds machine, Vitals machine and PCA pump with be pluged into the bed and not pose a safety hazard for the patient, staff, or visitors.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

[color=sienna]legal birth control blow darts

pain moniters that would put everyone on the same pain scale (objective data!)

flavored nebulizer treatments

bathrooms that you could close, press a button and they'd automatically hose themselves down- like a dishwasher.

[meandragonbrett]

a paralytic that didn't require mechanical ventilation.